


The Tale of the Blue Dragon Rider

by whichlights



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Blood, Death, Dragon Riders, Dragons, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff and Angst, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Implied/Referenced Torture, Keith and Shiro are Siblings, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance (Voltron)-centric, Long, M/M, Magic, Mild Gore, Monsters, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Space Uncle Coran (Voltron), bc that series was awesome, except. not space, give me broganes or give me death, i keep CHANGING THE TAGS ON THIS, inheritance cycle au, ish, it alternates chapter to chapter and sometimes within chapters tbh, look man i hit my goal of 50k ive never written something this long before im proud of this, pidge is a genderfluid trans girl, slow burn klance such slow, thace is keiths dad screw canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-09-21 02:05:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 54,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9527069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whichlights/pseuds/whichlights
Summary: Emperor Zarkon is the ruler of the continent of Alagaësia. He has to be, seeing as he's the only dragon rider left ever, and all resistance has been crushed before it began, really.Lance is sixteen years old. He's found a blue stone in the mountains. It hatches, and the dragon inside changes his life.incomplete and discontinued bc i got too pissy about continually editing out shiro ships to finish





	1. Fly

**Author's Note:**

> A Voltron au based off of the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. You don't have to read the books to get it, but you should, so.
> 
> Okay, the day is October 13, 2017, and I'm making an official declaration that this fic is discontinued for several reasons. Namely- I feel like no one's reading it, it's a pain in the ass to write, and I've already edited it once when Allura's age was confirmed teen, and I'm not going through that again with something this big because Matt was confirmed teen. So, yah. Rip.

The forest was quiet and something was wrong. The horses were skittish, braying and trying to turn around.

Keith frowned, and hugged the precious pouch in his hands closer to his chest. “Easy girl.” He whispered to the horse he was riding. “It’s alright. We’ll be at the Varden by sundown tomorrow, then we can rest.”

Turning back to his companions ( _bodyguards_ ) his voice took a different tone. “Weapons out. Maybe we should-” 

There was a roar and Keith cursed. “Ambush!”

Arrows flew towards them. “Brisingr!” Keith whispered and the arrow hurtling towards him burst into ash. His companions weren’t so lucky. Moontow gasped as the arrow hit her chest, and Klaizap was shot in the leg, and left to be trampled by the Galra headed towards Keith.

“Brisingr!” He yelled at them, and the forest between them and him caught fire. Then he nudged the horse forward, bolting away into the forest.

“Him! He’s the one I want!”

 _I won’t let them get you_. He swore to the package in his arms. He spoke gently but urgently to his horse. “Hurry, hurry, faster-”

Then was a sharp laugh and the forest in front of him caught fire. The horse threw his rider, and Keith crashed unceremoniously to the ground as the elf horse ran, only to be struck down by a bolt of red energy.

Keith resisted the urge to freeze in fear, and leaped through the flames, sword in hand. _Where’s the nearest town the nearest town is leagues away I’ll never make it-_

“Where are you going, little elf?” A cruel voice laughed and the forest all around Keith caught fire. _Trapped._

A pale man with yellow eyes separated the flames and stepped into the circle. He grinned, showing sharp teeth. “How nice to finally meet the keeper of the egg. On your way to the Varden now?”

_Think think think. Where’s Coran? Coran. Think of Coran._

Keith threw off his cloak and opened the box, revealing a shining blue egg. The Shade’s eyes widened. “Very good.”

Keith started muttering under his breath, holding the egg close to him. _Coran Coran Coran get her to Coran._

“Give her to me.” The Shade commanded.

“Never!” Keith shouted and there was a flash of red magic as the egg disappeared. A softer red than the Shade's magic- the red of a hearth, not a wildfire.

The Shade looked shocked. “You… where did you send it?” He roared. Keith felt dizzy. Too much magic…

“Do you have _any idea_ who I _am_ ? You _dare_ defy me, _insolent child._ ”

“You’re Sendak.” Keith muttered. “Trusted Shade of Emperor Zarkon.”

“You should respect your leaders, boy.”

“Zarkon is no leader of mine.” Keith spat and fell to the ground, unable to keep standing. 

-

Ever since he was a kid, Lance wanted to fly.

When he was six he wanted to grow up to be a bird. When he was ten he thought he could tame eagles to carry him in their claws. And now, even at sixteen, Lance dreamed of the sky.

There was a loud crack sound like an explosion, a flash of light only yards away from the deer he was hunting, and the herd vanished into the brush and deep mountains. “Hey!” Lance yelled, bow ready, standing up, but all the deer were gone.  

Daydreaming had always been one of his downfalls. And curiosity.

Lance skittered down into the hollow and went up to the place the light had originated. A small crater had formed, and at the center there was a stone, a cool blue with white lines. Lance blinked. “Woah.” He whispered. When he leaned down to touch it, it was smooth under his hand.

_Magic._

There was always one man in the village interested in magic.

Well, maybe this hunting trip wasn’t a total failure.

Lance looked at the sky. He could get back before dark, and there was someone he needed to talk to.

Walking out of the dangerous mountains known as the Spine with the last of his supplies, bow slung on his back, Lance walked into the village with a high head, stone hidden in his pack. He walked past the tavern and to Coran’s house.

“Hey, Coran.” Lance called, beating at the door. “I have something I want you to see.”

The door opened immediately. “Lance!” The man exclaimed. “Come in, come in!”

In a village of mostly brown, brown, brown, Coran was far too bright for Lance’s eyes His hair was wild orange, and his eyes were so bright a blue Lance had always thought Coran had stolen part of the sky, until he was nine and realized the impossibility of it. Coran was wearing his usual floppy hat, and stroking his mustache. The storyteller had always made time for Lance, and Lance was grateful for that today.

“So, what’s this visit about?” Coran asked. “Wait, I know. I’ll put on some tea.”

“That isn’t necessary.” Lance said quickly. Coran’s tea had a habit of turning out rather goopy. “Actually, I found something in the Spine I thought you should see.”

Coran’s left eyebrow raised. “Well, let’s see it then.”

Lance reached into his pack and pulled out the stone. Coran’s eyes widened and his expression was momentarily one of astonishment and disbelief before it smoothed over into casual interest. “Odd shape, isn’t it?”

“And it’s so smooth. I think it’s magic.”

“I think you’re right.” Coran ran a finger over the stone. “You’d best run along to your family. Won’t the traders be here soon? Maybe one of them will be interested in magic stones.”

“Maybe.” Lance said brightly. “Thanks Coran. You always know what to do. But if the traders don’t want it, do you?”

Coran smiled, a bit sadly. “I would love that more than anything in the world, Lance.”

-

That night, the stone safely stored away in Lance’s room, there was a squeak that woke him up. He bolted awake, eyes wide open. There was a small squawk, and a crack.

Lance looked over at the shelf where the noise seemed to be coming from, and his heart stopped. A small, scaled dragon was standing among broken eggshells, and it squeaked at him.

The dragon was no bigger than a small cat, with small fluffy ears, and a tufted tail. Despite the soft air around it, its eyes were bright and intelligent, and colored a slightly deeper blue than its scales. Its claws were sharp and as it yawned, Lance saw fangs.

It squeaked again and spread out wings several times longer than its body. Lance scrambled backwards to avoid it as it jumped to his bed. It could be on the attack.

“Mawp?” The dragon tilted its head. Lance gave a tentative smile and reached out his hand, letting the dragon nudge his palm.

There was a burning feeling, and Lance yelped, jerking his hand away. On his palm was a patch of silver, like a circle. Lance looked at the dragon with wide eyes, and felt something nudge at his mind.

Curiosity.

And hunger.

Neither of which were his own.

“Come on.” Lance muttered, picking up the dragon. It squeaked, but didn’t struggle. On the way out of the house, he grabbed a piece of dried meat.

He took the dragon to the edge of his family’s farm, to an old hollow tree. He started setting up a nest while the dragon munched on the meat. “If you’re going to stay, you’re going to have to stay _hidden_.” He said earnestly. 

The dragon- she -squeaked at him. Lance blinked. Somehow, he just knew it was a she. "Stay, please." Lance said. "I want to keep you, but I just have to..."

Lance blinked. He wanted to keep her. 

"You need a name." Lance decided. Talking to the dragon shouldn't have been much different than talking to a dog or cat, but it was... decidedly different. She was intelligent.

She was listening.

"What do you think of Blue?" He asked.

She said, "mawp!" and jumped from the tree onto Lance's shoulder. 

Lance laughed. "Blue it is then."

He got her to settle into the tree, and then had a realization that had taken him a while.

_I have a dragon._

_I can be a dragon rider._

_I can fly._

-

Within two weeks, Lance discovered a great many things.

One- Blue was a quick learner, but not even she could learn English  _that_ fast. They mostly spoke and communicated in broken sentences. But she did learn quick, and he was spending a lot of time with her.

The next thing- she was a hard secret to keep. Especially as she'd gone through a growth spurt, and was now slightly shorter than Lance's shoulder. And it wasn't easy sneaking off at every turn to spend time with her instead of his family.

The last thing was that he knew a total of nothing about dragons.

So he needed to go to someone who did.

"Coran?" He knocked the next time he had the opportunity to go to town. Coran opened the door. "We gotta talk."

"About what?"

Lance took the glove he'd been using to cover his dragon mark off his hand and shoved the silver circle into Coran's face. "What does this mean? Tell me everything you know about Dragon Riders!"

Coran blinked. "Where is she?"

"How do you know Blue is a she?"


	2. Flight

"Any word?" The smith asked the Queen.

She sighed. "No. It's been weeks, and we've been looking everywhere." 

"Is Shiro okay?" 

"Distraught. He thinks it's his fault this happened, even though it's completely unreasonable." Allura rubbed her forehead. "We'll keep looking."

"At least Zarkon doesn't have the egg." Matt pointed out. 

"You try telling that to Shiro."

"Fair point."

-

"Of course I know Blue is a she- wait. Her name is Blue?" Coran blinked. "Come in, before someone hears us!"

"What are you talking about?" Lance asked as Coran ushered him inside. 

"You're the one who brought up dragons!" Coran inspected the mark on Lance's hand. "This means you've touched a hatchling. Which means she hatched for you. And you named her  _Blue_?"

"Look, she liked it!" Lance snapped. "So... you know about my dragon."

"Of course, I'm the one who who rescued her egg from Zarkon!" Coran yelled in a whispered hush. "And now she's hatched for you. Which means you're the first new Dragon Rider in... a few hundred years, give or take."

"Woah." Lance whispered.

Coran held his wrist. "This mark is called a gedwëy ignasia. It's a sign of the riders. Why didn't you show me this before?"

"Um, I've had it for two weeks! And what do you mean you  _rescued_ Blue's egg?"

"I occasionally ally myself with the Varden." Coran shrugged. "I was the one who saved the blue egg from Zarkon's clutches. Yellow and green were as well, but not by me, and no one knows where they are. Hopefully safe from Zarkon's reach.

"Y-you're with the Varden?" Lance yelped. "The Varden are just a group of rebels, and I mean, I support them, but it's illegal and they're not very good at their job!"

"They're not." Coran agreed. "But that's not the point. The point is, you're a Dragon Rider. And as such, it is a responsibility and an honor to learn their ways. And cruel to Blue to keep her cooped up in Carvahall."

Lance closed his eyes.  _If I stay here, Zarkon will eventually figure out where I am. Blue can't stay hidden forever. He could hurt my family._

 _If he doesn't know they're_ my  _family, and I'm not here... they'll be safe._

"Okay. Where are we going?"

"To the Varden."

"THE WHAT NOW?"

 


	3. Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didnt realize chapter 2 was so short omg.. i wanna be one of the Cool People with 7k chapters but this'll have to do

_A boy raised his head to the ceiling, allowing his fringe to fall into his face. Moonlight fell through the bars of the window, and Lance realized it was a cell._

_The boy sighed. He couldn't have been older than Lance. His face was tear streaked._

_The moonlight caught on the tears in his violet eyes._

Lance woke up with a start. It was just a dream. He looked outside the window. The sun was starting to come up, and he breathed out. Snatching his bow and quiver, he walked out of his room.

His mother was in the kitchen setting the table while his older brother Eli was making breakfast. "Hey!" Eli grinned. "You going out for another early morning walk?"

"Yah." Lance shrugged, feeling slight guilt twinge in his gut. "Might be a while. Might even go hunting."

"Oh, so that's why you have your bow!" His mother smiled. "Well, good luck!"

"Bye." Lance gave them a salute and ran out the door before he could start crying.  _It's not running away from home. It's not._

He went to the old tree where Blue stayed around, even though she did tend to fly all in and around the Spine. She was flying around the tree, waiting for him, as he'd asked her to do yesterday after getting back from Coran's. "Hey, girl!" Lance called up to her.

 _Lance! Lance! Lance you are back!_ Blue made a happy whistle noise and dived down. Her head bumped Lance's chin as she butted up against him, and he scratched behind her ear tufts like she was some kind of huge cat. Her tail thumped against the tree, showering leaves on them. 

 _Where is Coran?_ Blue asked, pulling away and looking around.  _What does Coran look like?_

Blue had very recently started to understand the concept of names, and not putting a "the" before it. If only Lance could get her to understand third person pronouns better. Switching the conversation from verbal on his part to their mind link (which he didn't understand at all), he said,  _He's tall. Orange hair, blue eyes, white skin, and a mustache- like hair above his mouth. He tends to wear a floppy hat a lot._

Blue nodded.  _He is a friend?_

_A very good one._

_Will Coran like my speaking?_

_Of course he will!_ Lance promised. _Look, there he is!_

Blue wrinkled her snout.  _Coran smells funny._

"Coran, this is Blue. Blue, Coran." Lance gestured between them and a package Coran had on his back caught his eye. "What's that?"

Coran's face was solemn. "When I rescued Blue, I also managed to salvage this. It's yours now, Dragon Rider."

He handed it to Lance. Lance unwrapped it slowly. It was a sword, bright blue like the sky. It was slightly awkward in his hand until Coran adjusted his grip. "Whoa."

"This is a Dragon Rider's sword." Coran's voice had that strange accent it got when he was upset. Lance looked at him. "It's name is Aeternitas."

"Aeternitas." Lance mumbled, holding the sword up to Blue. She was a darker shade, and nudged the blade with her head.  _A good name._

"Traditionally, the Rider's sword matched their dragon's scales. But we're lucky this one was even blue. So, let's be off. We have business in Teirm."

"That's a southern city. A port city, by the ocean. Who do we need to see there?" Lance asked as he sheathed his new sword.

"An old friend. I may have... forgotten _exact_ directions to their hideout."

"You forgot?" Lance asked incredulously.

"It's been a long time! The point is, my friend in Teirm will give us directions, and supplies."

"But the Galran troops are active in that area." Lance pointed out. "And there's been rumors of... well, a Shade."

"Ah, nothing a Dragon Rider can't handle!" Coran laughed and threw an arm around Lance's shoulders. "I'm teasing you. But don't worry, I'm going to train you until we get to the Varden. You won't have to face any Shades alone, either. We'll stay out of sight."

Lance smiled. "Yah, okay."

"Well, let's get a move on while it's still daylight!"

Night fell sooner than Lance thought it should have. The wind blew strong over the plains, and blew out every one of Coran's attempts at a fire. 

"I'm just gonna go to sleep." Lance yawned.

He closed his eyes, and a few minutes later, he heard Coran mutter, " _brisingr_ " under his breath. Confused, Lance decided to ignore it, and fell asleep.

-

_"Where are the elves hiding? Where is the Varden hiding? Where did you send the egg!" A man with glowing eyes yelled._

_"I'll die before I answer any of those questions." The boy in the cell responded calmly. His eyes were dark purple, and his face was bloody._

Lance gasped as he woke up. Coran was humming as he cooked breakfast on the fire. "Oh, hello!" he smiled. "We're going to be dropping by Yazuac before going to Teirm. We need the supplies. So pack up your things, chop chop, get ready!"

 Lance rubbed his head. "Where's Blue?"

"Oh, she went out hunting after we talked for a while. Her English is remarkable for such a young dragon. You must have been spending a lot of time with her."

Lance shrugged. "Most of the afternoon and part of the night. She's really inquisitive- always wants to know what this or that word or phrase means. You'll be good for her, I think. You know a bunch of words I don't, and can probably explain them better." Lance blinked. "Wait, you can talk to Blue?"

"Of course! It's considered rude to engage in conversation with another person's dragon, but she kept bugging me until I talked to her. You sleep too much for her liking."

"Thanks." Lance muttered to the sky. "Really supportive, there, Blue."

 _That was sarcasm_. Blue commented as she dived down to ram her head into Lance's back. It didn't hurt, or knock him over (Blue had good control of her strength), but it did knock him off balance. He stumbled forward.  _I noticed you had sarcasm._

Lance smiled and scratched her head, and replied,  _Yes, that was sarcasm. It's okay, I love you._

Blue nodded seriously.  _The town Coran wants to go to isn't very far away. Maybe a league or two at most._

 _You'll have to stay hidden._ Lance sighed, and Blue pouted. He looked at the silvery mark on his hand. "What about this?"

"We'll pick up gloves while we're there. In the meantime, smudge some mud on it." Coran offered. 

Lance frowned and grumbled, but did it. Blue stayed back while Coran and Lance walked up to the city on foot. They went to the side entrance, because apparently that was less noticeable.

Lance pointed out anything they did would be noticeable because no one else was there.

"Strange." Was all Coran had to say, but he did advise Lance to make sure he was ready with his bow.

Up closer to the town, not just on the boring dusty road, there wasn't much activity either. When the buildings came into sight, Lance squinted. "Is that... smoke?"

"Oh, no." Coran whispered.

 _Blue, we need back up!_ Lance called out with his mind as they ran to the town. No response. Maybe she was too far away.

Then it came.  _Lance! What is wrong?_

_The town is burning!_

Blue sent him a feeling of urgency, and an image of her racing towards them.

Coran and Lance managed to get to Yazuac.

The town wasn't burning as much as smoldering.

"We're too late." Lance whispered.

Coran grabbed his arm and pointed. "Look."

Lance turned to where he was pointing and nearly vomited. In the center of the town square was a pile of bodies. "The villagers... who did this?"

"The Galra." Coran said blankly. "The spears in some of the bodies are of Galran make. _Zarkon_."

Lance shuddered. "Can I help stop things like this?"

"Yes."

_But that seems impossible._

Lance looked down. "We need to bury them."

"Of course- wait."

Lance froze.

What constituted as a Galra soldier was up to debate, and it in fact had two definitions. One was the legitimate Galra, with fluffy ears and claws and purple fur, and the other definition was a nickname for Zarkon's army.

They were unlucky, and got the actual Galra.

"Run!" Coran called out, grabbing the staff he carried off of his back. Lance's eyes widened, and he grabbed his bow. "St-stay back!" He yelled at the Galra.

They didn't even bother with him, going straight for Coran, waving their swords.

"No!" Lance called out. His body wouldn't listen to him, and his fingers went numb, his bow clattering to the ground. He scrambled to pick it up, and by the time he did, Coran was being attacked, and his arm was bleeding. 

Lance was a great shot, so he grabbed an arrow and aimed. Desperately, for no reason, he yelled out the word Coran had used the other night.

"Brisingr!" 

His arrow crackled with blue fire. It hit one Galra right in the shoulder, and that was about when Lance passed out.

-

Keith fiddled with his empty sheath to pass the time. He could see because of the sunlight that managed to filter in through the bars, but it wasn't a viable escape option. He'd die trying.

Maybe worth it?

The cell door opened. The Shade walked in, smiling, his pointed teeth gleaming. "Hello, little elf."

"Where's my knife?" Keith asked, as had become routine.

Sendak laughed, but his eyes were hard. "Where are the Varden?"

"Give me back my knife."

"Where are the elves hiding?"

"I want my knife."

Sendak growled and leaned forward until he was in Keith's face. "Where did you send the egg?"

Keith looked him in the eye. "Where is my knife?"

"This?" Sendak stepped back and pulled it out. That was new. Like an idiot, Keith lunged for it. His stomach spun at the movement, and Sendak batted his hand away easily. "How about this- you answer my questions, and you can have it back."

"How about you just give it back, and I let you live." Keith replied cooly.

Sendak growled. His fingers sparked with evil magic. Painful magic. "Last chance for the day- answer my questions, and I won't hurt you."

Keith crossed his arms. "Give me back my knife."

Sendak grinned, and lightning arced from his fingers, hitting Keith in the back.

All part of the routine.

-

_Lance? Lance, are you alright?_

Lance groaned and rubbed his head. Blue's face was right in front of him, blinking anxiously.  _Are you alright?_ She asked. 

 _I'm fine._ He reassured her.  _Where's Coran?_

 _Coran is not happy with you._ Blue backed off and pointed with her tail to where Coran was standing a few feet away, arms crossed.

"That was very dangerous of you." Coran said.

"I was trying to help."

"You could have gotten yourself killed."

"I thought you were going to die."

"Did you even know what you were  _doing_?"

"No." Lance admitted. 

"How did you even learn that word?"

"What word, brisingr?" Across the camp, the fire flared. "You said it. You know, when you were trying to get the fire started."

"Quiznak, I thought you were asleep." Coran muttered. "So, this is all my fault, in a way."

"Did I use magic?" Lance burst out. "Can all Dragon Riders do that? Is brisingr a magic word? Is quiznak? Teach me more!"

Coran looked tired. Lance was doing his job as a teenager correctly. "Yes, you used magic. And yes, all Dragon Riders could- it's just not a very well known fact. Brisingr isn't a  _magic_ word, it's the true, real name for fire in the Ancient Language, and can be used to use fire to your will. Quiznak is just a nonsense word I made up. And yes, now that you've unlocked your magic, I have to teach you your limits so you don't burn yourself to a crisp."

Well, that left a sour mood. "A crisp?"

"Using magic takes energy from your body. How much strength you have is how much strength you can use, and magic uses as much energy as actually doing the action would do. If you invoke magic more powerful than you can handle, you will die."

Lance gulped. "Let me guess, this is why you didn't want to teach me in the first place."

"Of course not! It's dangerous!"

"Wait, but  _you_ said brisingr meaning  _you_ know magic!" Lance beamed at the realization. "You're a magician!"

"I am not." Coran snapped.

"Are you... are you a Dragon Rider?"

"No!" Coran barked, on edge and aggressive.

"Then how do you know magic?" Lance insisted.

Coran sighed, and took off his ever present hat. Lance gaped at his ears.

"Because, Lance, I'm an elf."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is witchlightsands and if you ever... i dunno,... wanna make me a fanart of this... id love you forever


	4. Steal

Lance's first reaction wasn't the best thing he could have said, if he was honest. 

"What? But elves aren't real, they're just stories." 

Coran raised an eyebrow. "So dragons and magic and Galra are just stories too then?"

"Well..." Lance cleared his throat, and stared at Coran's ears. "You're actually an elf."

"Yes."

"Can all elves do magic?" 

"Yes."

"Are you the last one? Or are there more? The stories always said they went into hiding after Zarkon took over." Lance rambled. Coran seemed slightly amused by the string of questions. 

"There are more, and one day I'll take you to meet them. But the Varden deserve to meet you before you disappear with the fair folk." 

"Why are the elves called the fair folk?" Lance asked.

Coran puffed out his chest. "Well, as you can see, we elves are stunningly gorgeous. Why I was known as Coran, Coran, the gorgeous man!" He sang the last part.

Lance looked at him doubtfully. "Sure."

Blue hummed.  _Are all elves like him?_

 _I don't know, never met an elf._  Lance replied thoughtfully. _They were always helpful in the stories though. Tricky, but Coran is like... like a weird uncle._

"Well, come along then! I managed to scrounge up some supplies in Yazuac while you were passed out- the price of magic -but we're still missing some supplies, like horses."

"Horses? But I can ride Blue. She's about big enough."

_You're a skinny human- I could carry you now, like a bundle of sticks._

_Okay, rude. I'm very buff. I work out. And work on a farm._

_Small human._ Blue purred.

"Yes, but she wouldn't be able to carry  _me_ , and just one horse wouldn't be able to keep up with her. We both have to ride horses."

Lance grumbled. "This Varden better be worth it."

"The nearest town is Daret. Let's hope this one hasn't had trouble with Galra too."

-

That night, by the campfire, Coran handed Lance a stone.

"What's this?" He looked at it in the fire light. "Some kind of magic elf stone?"

"Just a stone. And you're going to make it float."

"Wait, what?" Lance blinked, then beamed. "Magic! You're going to teach me magic! This is going to be so cool."

"Say stenr rïsa."

"Stenr rïsa." Lance repeated, feeling the words roll over his tongue. More of the Ancient Language, he guessed. 

"Good, now say it to the stone."

"Stenr rïsa." Lance commanded the stone in his palm. It amazing stayed put.

Blue snorted at him.  _That didn't do anything._

"No no no, you have to reach for the magic inside you." 

"The magic inside... what?" 

"When you made the Galra explode, you didn't just say brisingr, though that directed your magic. You used actual force. Magic. It's there, inside you. And to make the stone float, you have to use it."

Lance looked at the stone, concentrated very hard, and said, "stenr rïsa."

Shockingly. No response. 

Lance frowned and leaned back. "I heard the Dragon Riders were really good at swordplay. And, I mean, you  _gave_ me a sword." He gestured to where Aeternitas was strapped to his belt. "Aren't you going to teach me how to use it?"

Coran frowned. "I was never very good at swords as a child, and I don't have one with me. I can't teach you. The Varden or the other elves could."

"Oh." Lance frowned. "Okay."

Coran's face softened. "Maybe I can walk you through a few basic moves. For now, focus on the stone."

Lance looked at the stone, and breathed. He felt something tickle on the edge of his consciousness, something that wasn't Blue's ever curious prodding. He reached for it, and then whispered, "stenr rïsa."

It wobbled a few centimeters in the air above his glowing gedwëy ignasia. He gasped, concentration breaking, and it fell, but the accomplishment stood. "Coran! Coran I can use magic." He was shaking with excitement.

"Good. But a little above your hand for a few seconds does not a magic user make." He noted. "Keep it, and practice."

Lance nodded earnestly. "Now teach me sword moves!"

Coran gave him a deadpan expression, and simply gestured to how high the moon was. 

Lance blushed. "Oh. Yah. Okay. Night."

"Goodnight."

-

_The cell was dark. The boy from before was crouched against the wall, looking almost invisible. Red blood pooled around him, dripping off of his hand. In his other hand he held a sheath, and was whispering to it in a foreign language Lance somehow understood._

_"I will not die here, I will not die here..."_

_There was a creak, and the cell door opened, and Lance was exited from his dream._

He bolted awake, and looked at Blue, who was curled up beside him, looking at him with big blue eyes.

 _What do you think it means that I keep dreaming about him?_ Lance asked, knowing that she knew his dreams already. They shared thoughts easily and fluidly.

_I do not know, little human. I don't know._

-

On the way to Daret, Coran taught him all sorts of words in the Ancient Language, and he practiced making his stone float. Blue was flying overhead slowly, sometimes diving back to hunt, or walking along side them to converse with Lance.

 

Lance was only half listening, and eventually Coran noticed. "Alright, what's on your mind?"

"Is it normal for Dragon Riders to have... dreams..." Lance started.

"Well of course! They're just like any other people."

"No, I mean like, special dreams. About a person."

Coran's eyebrows waggled. "I see what's happening. Who is she?"

"What, no!" Lance balked.

"Ah, right, sorry for assuming. Who is  _he_?"

Lance groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Not like that! I mean, yes, a he, but- I mean magic dreams! Because I've seen him, like, three times now, and I swear I've never seen him before ever!"

Coran frowned. "Well, that  _is_ strange. It's not unheard of for dreams to brush the spirit world, but it's possible you were scrying in your sleep."

"Scrying?" 

Coran waved a hand. "Seeing something far away. I'll teach you more about it later. But you can only scry things that you've seen before."

"He's in a cell." Lance said. "Always bleeding. Usually sad. I think he's in trouble."

"He might be an enemy of Zarkon's Empire." Coran put a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "Do you know where this cell is?"

"No." Lance said sadly.

"Can you describe him?"

"Black hair, dark purple eyes. Pale, but not, like, white pale. More like lack of sunlight pale. He has a sheath, but no knife to go with it."

"I don't know anyone with that description in the Varden. I'm sorry, Lance."

"He looked my age." Lance blurted.

"Ah, that'd be why. I haven't really spoken to the Varden for seventeen years." Coran put a soft hand on Lance's shoulder. "Tell me if you have that dream again. And if we find any prisons throughout the land, we'll check them."

"Are you serious?" Lance brightened.

"Of course!" Coran said easily. "Anything to help you find the boy of your dreams." He winked.

Lance turned red. "He- I- it's not like that! I don't even know him!"

Coran merely shrugged and laughed. Lance turned to Blue for support, but she was laughing too.

-

"Now, I want us to use code names." Coran said.

"Code names? Why?"

"Just a precaution."

 _Oh, right._ Lance thought.  _I'm Enemy Number One, now that I have Blue. And the reason I left was to keep my family safe._

"What are they?"

"I shall be Carl." Coran straighted the tips of his mustache. "And you will be Larry!"

Lance was less than thrilled. "How about anything else?"

"Nope, we're Carl and Larry now. You're my nephew!"

"Fun." Lance muttered.

 _Can I have a nickname?_ Blue projected her voice to both of them. 

"You're going to stay hidden you don't need-" Lance started, only to be interrupted by Coran. "Of course! We'll refer to you when we're out an about as 'Blanca'. You'll be our cat!"

Blue seemed happy about this, and complained less when she eventually had to stay behind as they went on. Lance left his sword with her- it wasn't exactly inconspicuous to carry around a bright blue blade.

Daret was a nice town. Coran left Lance at the inn while he did his shopping, and Lance was not having fun. For one, he was underage, and no adult was there to smuggle him drinks under the counter. For two, he didn't like being left behind. Now he knew how Blue felt.

"This seat taken?" A feminine voice asked. Lance turned around and his heartrate sped up. A girl was standing in front of him, smiling softly. Her hair was blonde. She batted her eyes, and Lance was pretty much a goner.

"Of course not." Lance said, remarkably smoothly. He gestured to the seat beside him, and the girl sat down. "I'm Nyma."

Lance almost gave out his alias, but honestly? No, he was not going to introduce himself to a pretty girl as  _Larry._ "I'm Lance."

"Nice to meet you Lance." 

-

Coran entered the stable. "Ah, hello?" He called out. "I'm looking for two horses."

"Then I'm afraid you're out of luck, friend." A man stepped out of one of the stalls. "Every horse we had was bought cheap by those Galra soldiers."

Coran had never agreed with the use of Galra as a nickname for Zarkon's men, but at the same time, he thought it was fitting. "Every one?"

"Except for the ones the farmers need for their fields, but good luck trying to get them to give those up." The man held out his hand. "I'm Rolo, by the way."

"Coran." He frowned. If they couldn't get horses, it was going to be a long walk. "Do you have any leather?"  _Lance at least deserves a chance to fly with Blue, and for that he needs a saddle._

"Sure thing." Rolo went to the back of the stables while Coran waited. He came back with a hide of leather. "Will this work?"

Coran did some estimating in his head, figured it would be good enough for Blue for a while at least, and nodded. "Thank you. How much?" Coran started to pull out his money, but Rolo waved him off. "No, it's the least I can do since we don't have any horses."

"All right. Thank you!" Coran left, and immediately went to go find Lance. If he'd sensed his intentions correctly, it was best to get going before they ended up stranded on the side of the road. 

-

"So, yah, me and my uncle, we're from out of town." Lance was saying, flexing slightly as he said it. "Taking a trip down to Teirm, he wants to see an old friend."

"That's so sweet of you to escort him!" Nyma said.

Lance almost quipped something about how no one  _escorted_ Coran, they followed him blindly and hoped for the best, but maybe that wasn't as impressive. "Well, yah, we're a pretty big deal."

"Really? Are you noblemen?" Nyma's eyes were bright.

Lance couldn't lie  _that_ much. "Nah, he's just... like, the most important person in our town. Small town, but still." Lance shrugged, and as an afterthought, he added, "and our... cat is _really_ something."

"Ah, there you are, Larry!" Coran called, entering the inn. Lance groaned. Nyma looked at him. "Larry?"

"He likes nicknames, just go with it." Lance muttered.

Coran threw an arm around Lance's shoulder and ruffled his hair. "Nice to see you made a friend! I'm sorry, but we'll be going now. Goodbye!"

Lance got the feeling Coran was forcibly dragging him out of the inn. "What's this about?"

Coran shoved a paper in his hand. "It's a wanted poster."

"For who?"

"You! Or, more specifically, 'a rumored new Dragon Rider'. They don't have a description yet."

"Huh. I really am public enemy number one."

"Don't say it out  _loud_! And what's more, the stablehand wants to rob us."

"Did you get that bad of a deal?"

Coran sighed. "I'll teach you the trick later- but you know your mental link with Blue? You can do that with other animals and even humans. Not as well or intimately, but you can get their thoughts."

"I can mindread." Lance whispered.

"And if you don't learn to protect yourself, you will be the one getting mindread." Coran shook his head. "Come on, out the back gate."

"Where are _you_ going?"

 

Lance turned around, and smiled. "Oh, hey Nyma! You coming with us?"

The blonde was standing there, with a man Lance had never seen. She grinned, and held out a rope and a knife. "Not exactly." She pointed the knife at them, and the man pulled one out. "Valuables on the ground. This is a robbery."

"Told you." Coran muttered, smiling as he emptied his pockets.

-

"Nyma, why are you doing this?" Lance asked as she tied his hands together. 

She gave him a toothy grin, and tossed the bag of his money over her shoulder. "Sorry, Lance. We all do what we have to to live in Zarkon's land."

"You can keep the leather." Nyma's partner in crime was offering to Coran, who was tied back to back with Lance. 

"Very kind of you." Coran said, and maybe Lance's ears weren't working right after _betrayal_ , because he wasn't sure if it was sincere or not.

Nyma gave him a salute and a wink. "Maybe we'll meet again." Then she ran off with her friend.

"We just got robbed." Coran commented a few minutes later.

"Yah." Lance sighed. "She stole my heart."

"But what about your dream boy?"

That snapped Lance out of it. " _CORAN_!"

-

Lance tried all night to contact Blue, but she was just barely out of range. Or maybe she was sleeping, or hunting? Who knew, not Lance. Coran was dozing, snoring loudly in Lance's ear. Nyma and her friend, who Coran had told him was named Rolo, had tied those ropes tight, but surely if he kept at it-

Coran bolted awake. "Did you hear that?" He hissed.

"Hear what?"

He seemed unsettled, even though Lance couldn't see his face. "Nothing. Maybe just the wind. Or the town!"

"Coran, they stranded us a while away from the town."

"Still. What's that smell?"

"Smell? Coran, are you okay? Go back to sleep." 

"I'm fine!" He snapped. "Have you tried contacting Blue?"

"Yes." Lance sighed. "What more do you want from me? I'm trying."

"Lance?" Coran's voice softened.

"I... I'm trying." Lance whispered.

There was silence for a few minutes before Coran piped up, "There's that smell again."

"Smell? What, do you have, like, magical elf senses, or something?"

"I think the wind is just in my face." Coran commented. "I can't place it but..."

"Galra." Lance said.

"Ah, that's it! We should be careful. Wouldn't want to get caught by them out here while we're helpless!"

"...Coran." Lance looked up at the purple creature standing over him. "Galra."

"Oh. On my signal, stand up."

"Um, Coran, he is in my face." Lance grinned at the Galra nervously. "Hello, Mr. Galra? I don't think he understands a word I'm saying. If you do, please don't kill us Mr. Galra Sir."

"Now!" Coran yelled.

Lance stood up, and ended up headbutting the Galra. Hopefully that was what Coran wanted. 

Coran managed to get their hands free, and grabbed Lance's wrist. "They didn't take your sword?"

"No, I left it with Blue!"

" _Why in the world would you do that_?" Coran yelled as they ran towards Daret. More Galra  _had_ to be on their tail, seeing as the first one was yowling in pain. Lance had a splitting headache now, and almost stopped.

Eventually, he stumbled, and Coran accidentally let go of his wrist. Coran kept running for a few steps, but started back for him.

There was a roar in the sky.  _Blue._ Lance thought. His head was killing him.

 _Little human!_ Blue cried out. The Galra had completely caught up, and Lance was surrounded. He reached for magic, but he couldn't find it in his scrambled state.

 _Grab Coran and run!_ Lance demanded. Blue gave a mournful cry and swooped towards him. The Galra turned her away with spears, aimed at her and Lance.

 _Run!_ Lance urged, and as his vision started to fuzz out black, he saw an angry orange headed elf being carried away in the claws of a blue dragon with no Rider.

A Galra hit him in the head, and he blacked out completely.

-

_The boy in the cell wasn't moving. He was lying on his cot, his empty sheath actually clipped to his belt instead of being fiddled with in his hands, and if Lance didn't see the faint movement of the fringe of hair hanging in front of his face as he breathed, he would have sworn he was dead._

_Something told him the boy wasn't sleeping._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my tumblr, [witchlightsands](witchlightsands.tumblr.com), I track the tag [the tale of the blue dragon rider](https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/the-tale-of-the-blue-dragon-rider) and that's where I'll probably be posting sketches, concept art, wips, etc. Like [this sketch of Blue](http://witchlightsands.tumblr.com/post/156875898515/sketched-blue-from-the-tale-of-the-blue-dragon)!


	5. Prison

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some flashback mixed with some action mixed with about 10 chapters and 2 episodes mashed together in an amazing combination that all totals out to the longest chapter I have ever written for anything
> 
> edit: allura was confirmed as a teen, shalluratt is no longer the main shiro ship. all scenes with romantic shiro/allura are being removed

_"Shiro!" A boy laughed, running past Lance in a blur of movement. Lance thought he looked like a younger version of the boy in his dream, if only barely younger. Definitely less cells. They were in a forest, with trees so high they touched the sky. "Shiro, come back, you rotten brother-!"_

_A man with a tuft of white hair stepped out from behind a tree in time for the boy to tackle him with a hug. The man- Shiro? -laughed, and ruffled his hair. "Alright, kiddo, it's time to get going."_

_Lance smiled at the scene._

_There was a flash of lightning, and the soft summer day turned colder, and dark. Shiro and the boy came back. Shiro looked the same, but the boy looked a little older, with longer hair. They were arguing._

_"You can't keep me here forever! I'm going to the Varden." The boy stormed off, leaving small, fiery footprints in his wake._

_Shiro hurried to stomp out the fires. "Wait! Come back! Kiddo!"_

_Lance ran forward to help him, but Shiro turned around and looked him right in the eye. "Why aren't you in Ellesméra?" He asked Lance._

_Lance, who had been under the impression that they couldn't see him, stumbled backwards into a tree. The forest was falling down on top of him._

_"Aah!"_

-

"Aah!" Lance yelled, waking up with a start. Wait, why was he screaming? Right, his dream. It had been... a man named... something, and the boy... and... a forest...

And it was gone.

Lance huffed and tossed off his blanket. Wait, blanket? He'd been captured by Galra? Then why did he have... he did a quick inventory: a blanket, some kind of cot, and food waiting for him on a plate on the floor. Curiously, he got up and picked up the food. It was bread, a few mushy vegetables, and a cup of water. Lance's head gave a complaint- he  _had_ been hit in the head -so he gulped down the water. For some reason it tasted sweet.

Outside his cell- cell he was in a cell! -there was a sound. Lance got up, and looked out the bars of the door, trying to stay very sneaky. Two guards dressed in the wear of Zarkon's Empire were dragging a boy down the hall, right in front of Lance's face. He gasped quietly. The boy from his dreams. Found him!

The guards had heard Lance's gasp, and moved, looking around. As they did, Dream Boy's long hair shifted. He had pointed ears, like Coran. He was an elf.

 _Now_ he was starting to understand why elves were called the Fair Folk.

There was the sound of boots walking down the hall. "Ah, sir." One of Dream Boy's guards said, saluting. "Just taking him back to his cell."

"Then why the delay, Haxus?" A voice between a purr and a hiss said. Lance tried to get a better view, and immediately regretted it.

Tall, pale, with red eyes and a cruel smirk. Lance shrunk back down, leaning with his back against the door, knees pulled up to his chest. His ears were ringing in terror as they talked outside. He didn't move until he was sure they were all gone.

_A Shade. Oh dear God it's a Shade._

Captured by Galra to be delivered to another kind of Galra, and a Shade. Why hadn't the men attacked the Shade? The Empire wasn't great, but at least Lance was pretty sure they didn't let Shades wander around!

Or, maybe they did now? Ah, it was making his head hurt to think about it.

"Blue." Lance whispered, and felt horrified he hadn't remembered her earlier.  _Blue?_ He called out with his mind, but he couldn't find anything. No sign or presence of her, like some kind of cotton fuzz had been draped around his brain.

 _Fine, then I'll just bust my way out with magic!_ Lance tried to reach for the magic that was always there... except it wasn't there. He couldn't find it. He tried to remember any of the words of the Ancient Language Coran had taught him. Nothing.

 _They drugged me_. Lance realized.  _Whelp, I'm screwed._

He needed to find a way to escape, get to Blue- wait, he needed to save Dream Boy first- and  _then_ escape and find Blue... 

Lance smiled to himself as he thought about it. He'd be a hero! Everyone loved a hero!

After an amount of time he couldn't be sure of how long it was, the cell door opened, and Lance was ready for his rescuer! His rescuer was an old smelly dude. With food. Okay, so not a rescuer, but welcome none the less. 

He left the meal of bread, water, and a chunk of overcooked mystery meat on the floor a few feet away from Lance's cot. Lance started to eat, but it all tasted different than it should have. Ha! They were drugging him with the food! Lance gave himself a pat on the back for figuring it out so quickly. Maybe if he didn't eat, he could end up getting access to his magic again. And then he could save the elf boy...

There was a small window with bars that he could reach by standing on top of his cot. It was too small to escape from, but it opened up to the outside, letting in light. He would scrape the food out there.

Two missed meals and a nap later, there was a knock at the door. Lance waited, and the door swung open. It was the Shade. Lance tried not to look him in the eye.

"Hello." The Shade smiled. "What's your name?"

"Larry." Lance said, remembering the alias Coran had wanted him to use. 

The Shade made a face, and Lance's heart skipped a beat, thinking he'd been found out. But instead the Shade said, "no, no, the other one. The one you're not supposed to tell anyone?"

"A what?"

"Your secret name! Your true name!"

"What's that?" Lance asked. The Shade looked annoyed. "Surely you know your true name, Dragon Rider."

"Um... no?" Lance said. The Shade frowned, and stormed out in a huff.  _Wonder what that was about._

The Shade didn't come back. Lance had probably annoyed him too much.

By the time the light coming in through the window resembled moonlight, he was starting to get a fuzzy sense of his magic. Before doing anything, he reached out for Blue.  _Blue?_

 _Lance!_ She roared happily in his brain, reigniting a small headache. Lance smiled anyways.  _Blue!_

_Lance, you are okay! What happened?_

_I don't know. The Galra got me, and now-_

_You are in Gil'ead._ She told him.  _Coran convinced Nyma and Rolo to help us find you by threatening them with an otherworldly display of magic. We are going to rescue you!_

_Blue, there's a Shade! And the boy from my dreams- he's here, and he's an elf! We need to save him too._

Blue was silent for a moment, then she was back,  _I just told Coran. He says if you can find the elf yourself, it would help us out greatly. Can you get out of your cell?_

 _Let's find out._ Lance said, and whispered to the door, "Ládrin." The lock clicked, and he nudged the door open silently.  _I'm out._

Earlier, they had been taking the elf to the right, but he didn't know anything past then.  _Hold on, Dream Boy, I'm coming._ He thought to himself. 

There were two guards in the hall. Lance panicked, and yelped, "Jierda!" The soldier on the right dropped to the ground, neck snapped. The other stood in terror, arms up and sword dropped.

"Where's the elf?" Lance asked, ignoring how tired he felt. "The elf, his weapons, and my bow. Locations, now."

"Th-third door on the right." The Galra soldier stammered, pointing. "Your weapons would all be in the weapons room upstairs."

"Thanks." Lance smiled.

"Slytha." A voice said, and the guard dropped to the ground. Coran, hair done up and poofed out, wearing a brown cloak and goggles, beamed at Lance. "He's asleep for now. Come on. Good work, getting free on your own."

"Where's Blue?"

"On the roof. She's our escape route."

Lance nodded, stepped forward and grabbed the guard's keys. "Let's go find Dream Boy." 

Third door on the right. It opened up easily when Lance put in the key, and ran in. "Hey-"

The boy was there, sleeping. Lance went over to him. "Come on, wake up." He said, shaking his shoulders. "We're escaping! Escape with me!"

Coran walked into the cell. "You won't wake him that way."

"What?" Lance asked.

"He's in a trance elves can put themselves into to slow poison."

"He's been poisoned?" Lance whispered. A shout started to go up around the prison. "Guess we'll have to worry about that later. We got to get going!"

"Tell Blue to meet us by the weapons room!" Coran shouted, and easily picked up the unconscious elf boy.

_Blue, you got that? Meet us by the weapons room._

_I shall tear my way into the prison there._

_Wait what?_ Lance started, but realized as he tripped over his feet he couldn't run and talk at the same time. 

The weapons room was big, with spears and swords and pikes and bows hanging on the walls. Lance spotted his in an instant, snatching it off the wall and pulling it close to him. There was another bow that Coran grabbed. "Elven make." He said. "Even if it's not  _his_ , it's most certainly not Zarkon's."

Lance went over to a table full of knives. One stuck out- small, gleaming silver, with a purple symbol. 

Coran frowned. "That's not Empire make, or Elven."

Lance put the knife in Dream Boy's sheath. It fit. "Well, it's definitely not any of their's."

"Stop right there." A voice commanded. Lance turned around, bow ready. It was the Shade. 

Coran inhaled sharply. "Tell Blue  _now_."

"But we can take him-" Lance started.

"Now!"

Lance called out,  _any time about now would be good!_

There was a roar, and giant ivory claws tore through the wall of the weapons room. Blue stuck in her head, and hissed at the Shade. Coran grabbed Lance by the hand, and as Lance noticed there was a saddle on Blue's back, Coran jumped on, pulling Lance behind him, with the elf seated between them in a way. Blue pulled her head out of the weapons room, and flapped her wings, and bent her legs and jumped and Lance screamed a little in fear and a little with pure elation because Blue was  _flying_.

He was flying.

-

They made a makeshift shelter a few miles away from Gil'ead. No one wanted to risk making a fire. In the absence of a flame to stare into blankly, Lance played with a stone, making it go up and down above his hand as he ate. "Is he actually poisoned?" He asked Coran, glancing at Dream Boy.

"I would assume so." Coran shrugged. "But with no way to know what kind, we can't heal him."

"Heal him." Lance whispered, letting his rock drop and his gedwëy ignasia fade. "He's hurt, isn't he? He's got to be, I mean, I saw him bleeding a few times in my dreams. And he  _was_ held captive by a  _Shade_."

Without waiting for a response from Coran, Lance pulled down the collar of the elf's shirt to reveal part of his bruised and burned back. Lance gulped. "Yep. Hurt."

Coran put a hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to learn how to heal?"

Lance cheered up a little bit.

Coran taught him the words- "waíse heill" -and demonstrated it on one of the elf's burns. "Remember what I told you about using magic for a task takes as much energy as actually doing the task would, and that's why magic is affected by distance? It's also true for healing. It takes as much energy to heal a wound as it would take the wound to heal on it's own. And I don't want to worry you, but there's a lot here. In order for you to have enough energy for them all, skip over the small ones, and focus on the life threatening ones."

Lance nodded. "You'll help?"

"When you get tired, and if there's still anything left, I'll finish up." Coran promised. 

Lance gulped, and put his hand on the first wound- a burn in the shape of an 'X'. "Waíse heill." He muttered, and the skin healed. Lance beamed at Blue.  _You saw that, right? That's so cool! I can heal people!_

 _Go on, small human, the small elf will not be healed on his own._ Blue commented, part teasing, part encouraging.

Lance bit his lip and continued working. A lot of the wounds were fresh, and some were mostly healed. He left the mostly healed ones to scar on their own- not much he could do, he felt -and focused on the ones that might break open and start bleeding when they traveled. He also healed any burn bigger than his gedwëy ignasia.

Eventually, when the sun was starting to come up, he had done all he could. Coran patted him on the back. "I couldn't have done any better myself."

_But he's still poisoned. Without an antidote, he'll die._

_Where can we get an antidote for a poison we don't can't identify?_

-

Lance slept through half the day, and ate a big lunch. "Man, prison breaks really mess up my sleep schedule." Lance told Coran. "I'm going nocturnal."

"Ah, you love the sun too much for that."

"True." Lance sighed. "Now, when are we actually going to get to Teirm? You know, like we originally planned."

Coran frowned. "Teirm is now across the plains. Southwest from here. There are small towns, but no big cities, between here and there. If we fly straight for a few days, we should get there fine."

" _Speaking_ of flying." Lance gestured to Blue. "Did you  _see_ what she did back there? Such maneuvering! She can fly!"

 _I don't think I can carry three people long distance though._ She said.  _You are all very heavy together. I could carry Lance. And maybe also one elf at a time for an hour or so. But not all three._

"It's okay, you won't have to." Coran smoothed his mustache. "I stole horses from the guard house."

Lance put a hand over his mouth. "You didn't." He whispered.

"Oh yes I did!" Coran grinned. "I hid them a little away. Elves are very good with animals, you know."

True to his word, Coran did have two horses. Lance chose the dappled grey, and Coran had a bay. With every spare blanket they had, they tried Dream Boy to Blue's belly. It was honestly the only way anyone could think of to keep him on.

"Off we go?" Lance asked.

"Off we go!"

Partway through the day, they stopped to eat and check the blankets holding Dream Boy to Blue's belly to make sure there was no fray. As they rested, Lance chatted with Blue.

 _I just want to know his name, and how to help him._ Lance sighed to her.  _Any ideas?_

 _No._ Blue responded.

Lance thought about it.  _Well, hey. We can talk, mind to mind._

_Lance no._

_What if I can do the same with other animals? Or even people?_

_Lance you know Coran does not like you experimenting with magic on your own. It is dangerous._

Lance ignored her, and tried reaching out to the horse he'd been riding, which he had affectionately named Boran.  _Hey._ He tried.

He got a vague sense of Boran curiously prodding his mind back. Lance smirked.  _Cool._

_Lance, please reconsider._

_I don't think it's magic. Just a skill._ Lance shrugged.  _Blue, this is the only way I can think of to help. I can't just sit here knowing he's poisoned._

Blue gave the impression of a sigh. Lance ignored her, and walked over to where Dream Boy was laying on a pile of blankets. Coran was off with the horses, so Lance put his hand on Dream Boy's forehead, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

-

For some reason, Lance thought it would easy.

Carefully, he poked at the edges of Dream Boy's consciousness, not wanting to go in too far, because reading people's minds was against his newly found moral code about reading people's minds. He just needed to be able to talk to him.

 _Hello?_ He called out. 

Something that felt a little like a knife and a lot like fire attacked him. Lance winced mentally, and yelled out,  _Hey!_

The fire dagger attacked again, and Lance realized it was the elf. Lance had tried to pry, and he was not liking that. It didn't seem like an attack, more like defense.

Then again, his defense was going to get Lance killed. 

He couldn't stop the dagger, and it was seriously starting to hurt. He couldn't break the contact, because some force was crushing him and keeping him still. Taking what little he knew of the Ancient Language, he called out, _Eka aí Shur’tugal! Hórna eom heill!_ I am a Rider! Here to heal!

Lance's Ancient Language was way off. He didn't know the word for "here", so he had used "hear" as a substitute. Maybe the elf would find it endearing, and cut him some slack, and stop stabbing him with a mind dagger.

Instead, he heard the soft words,  _what the hell?_

_English! Oh, thank God, can we speak in English?_

_Who... are you?_ The dagger and the crushing force backed off. The elf allowed Lance slight access into his mind, and it was... different than talking to Blue or horses. There was magic in his blood, and fire in his heart, and Lance really wished he had been slightly poetic there but no that was more or less the actual truth well not literally he couldn't literally have fire in his heart but the thought was there. 

_My name's Lance._

_You're a Dragon Rider? So the blue egg hatched? Is she okay?_

_How do you know about Blue?_

_I was her carrier, idiot._ The elf snapped.  _...you named her Blue?_

 _She liked it!_ Lance defended.  _And you haven't told me your name._

 _I'm Keith._ The elf stated flatly.  _Where am I? Why am I healed?_

_You're welcome. I busted you out of prison, and healed you._

Lance got the impression Keith was troubled.  _I know you're a Rider. You can't lie in the Ancient Language._

_Wait, you can't? Why did no one tell me this?_

_Shut up. Okay, listen, I want you to repeat after me- eka mulabra né haina._

_Eka mulabra né haina._ Lance recited. 

_Fine, I guess I can trust you._

_You were poisoned!_ Lance shouted out.  _You know that, right? Coran told me!_

_Who is- nevermind. Yes, I was. A very rare poison, of course, because that's just how to be really evil. It's called the Skilna Bragh. The only antidote is Túnivor’s Nectar._

_Túnivor’s Nectar. Got it._ Lance tried to sound comforting.  _How long until you..._

_Can't hold the poison back any longer and I die? A few days._

_Can we find Túnivor’s Nectar in Teirm?_

_Teirm? Maybe, if you can find the right merchant._ Lance felt Keith give a shudder.  _I can't keep this up anymore. Don't talk to me again unless there's no hope of saving me. Tell... Blue hello for me._

_I will._

_Wait! Where's my knife?_

_Your knife?_

_You heard me._ Keith snapped.

_Is it silver with a weird purple zig-zag?_

_That's it._

_It's in the sheath on your belt._

Lance could sense Keith's entire being relax, and he felt calmer.  _Thank you._

And then Lance opened his eyes, and saw Coran glowering over him.

"What the quiznak were you doing?" Coran crossed his arms.

"Talking to Keith." Lance said, sitting up. "He was Blue's carrier, whatever that means. Does that mean he transported her between the elves and the Varden? Why? Anyways, he needs Túnivor’s Nectar."

Coran closed his eyes, and opened them again, taking a deep breath. "You talked to him?"

"With my mind."

"That was impulsive and dangerous." 

"It got us answers."

" _Teenagers_." Coran said it like it was an unholy word. He dragged a hand down his face. "Yes, once we rescued the egg, there was an agreement that someone would transport her between the elves and the Varden so both the elves and the humans would have a chance at being a Rider. Keith must have been the person carrying it when he got ambushed and sent the egg to... well, probably me."

"What? He doesn't know you."

"Not personally, but all the elves knew I was lying low in Carvahall. He must have thought he was close, but fell short and viola, one dragon egg for Lance McClain."

Lance glared at Keith's limp form. "You lying bastard."

"Don't be too hard on him. He doesn't know you, after all."

"Fair." Lance sighed. "Come on, we only have a few days to get to Teirm and find Túnivor's Nectar, or he dies."

-

"Quiet, quiet, please!" Allura Dröttning called out over the Council. Her advisers had been waiting for her to start for almost an hour, and were growing restless.

"Just start without him." One elf waved his hand. Allura bristled. "You know as well as I that this meeting does  _not_ start without Takashi Shirogane."

"Present." The familiar gravely voice said as the door opened. Allura turned around and beamed. "Finally." 

"Sorry, Caelum held up me." Shiro shrugged. 

"See, Allura, told you I could get him within a day." Matt stuck his head into the room with a lopsided grin. Allura sighed. Her Shiro's boyfriend really was... something. Even if he wasn't technically part of the Council, he'd always been allowed into the meetings and given an opinion. She gestured for them to come in.

"So what's going on?" Shiro asked, sitting down on the arm of Allura's throne. 

"There's been rumors of a new Dragon Rider for weeks now."

"So old news. Didn't we already vote on this?" Shiro yawned. "We weren't going to do anything until there was... concrete... proof." His jaw dropped.

"There's been a prison break at Gil'ead. A young boy, about sixteen, got captured by Zarkon's soldiers, showed displays of extreme magic skill, and escaped with the help of an orange haired man with a mustache and escaped, and I quote, 'on the back of a blue dragon.'" One Council member read from a scroll. "Official Empire report from Gil'ead."

"The age of the Dragon Riders has returned." Shiro smirked. "Where is he now?"

"No one knows. And Shiro, there's more." Allura said, and nodded to the Council member. He nodded and kept reading. "Direct quote, 'on the way out, he managed to free an elf that had been held captive there.' And, ah, the description given of the elf matches Keith."

Shiro fell off of his spot on Allura's throne. "You're kidding." He said from the floor. "I... we... I thought he was... and then... God, he's still probably pissed at me."

"The decision here to vote today is whether or not to send out scouting parties to look for the Rider, and anyone he happens to be traveling with. All for?"

Shiro's hand was in the air before anyone else's, followed by Matt, Allura, and half the room. "That's a majority. It is done. Dismissed." Allura stood up, and everyone walked off. She chuckled at Shiro, and leaned down to help him up.

"Shiro, you're not going to be on any of these scouting missions, you understand that right?" 

"I know." Shiro sighed. "... still?"

"If you even  _think_ about sneaking off-"

"I won't." Shiro promised. "I'm just... happy I can get a chance to apologize to my little brother."

-

_"Why can't I go?" Keith demanded._

_"Because you're sixteen." Shiro laughed. "There is_ no way _-"_

_"Screw you! I can do what I want!"_

_Shiro was starting to get mad. "Look, kiddo, you're too young. Maybe in a few years."_

_"Why won't you let me go?" Keith demanded._

_"It's dangerous!"_

_"No one has ever gotten hurt! And you_ know  _there will be guards! Why are you so determined to make sure I never help out!"_

_"I never said you can't help out! But being the egg carrier is stupid and dangerous!"_

_"I can make my own decisions, Shiro! I'm not a little kid!"_

_"Yes, you are! You're sixteen, and you have a_ human  _lifespan because you're half_ hu- _"_

_Keith's face froze, and softened in shock. Then his anger came back, even stronger. "You're being selfish, overbearing, and overprotective!"_

_Shiro knew he'd crossed the line, but he couldn't stop. "You're being selfish, impulsive, and reckless! You can't just run off!"_

_"I've made my choice!"_

_"Then you've chosen to be_ ALONE _." Shiro yelled, and it echoed through the forest._

 _Keith's face softened again, his tell for when he was truly upset. Then it set back into grim determination._ _"You can't keep me here forever! I'm going to the Varden." Keith hissed, and stormed off. Where he stepped, angry fires followed him._

 _Shiro hurried to stomp out the fires before they spread._  I have made a horrible mistake. _"Wait! Come back! Kiddo!"_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tumblr is witchlightsands and I track the tag "the tale of the blue dragon rider"


	6. Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, laughing nervously: whats an interaction and how do i write them

It took them two days to get to Teirm. During that time, Lance learned more about magic from Coran, things like scrying and how to protect his mind from people who would want to read it. He learned exactly zero sword fighting moves.

"We're just a few minutes outside of Teirm now." Coran said. "Tell Blue to come down here so we can get Keith, then go hide."

"Tell her yourself." Lance yawned. To get there on time, they'd rode through the night. Then again, Lance had been the one insisting, so he couldn't really complain.

"Well, that'd be rude."

Lance sighed, and called up to Blue, _looks like we're almost there. Can you see it?_

 _Yes._ She responded. _The living places are stacked strangely. You will see._

_Alright, come on down._

"What's up with the houses?" Lance asked Coran. "Blue mentioned they looked strange."

"Ah, yes! Teirm has two circles of houses. The taller ones are along with outside, with the smaller ones on the inside. That's so they can position archers on the roof in case of attack. It also makes it easier to pick off enemy archers who steal the first row of houses."

"That's a weird way to design a city, like you're expecting an attack."

"Well, it did need to be rebuilt after being burned down by pirates. They probably designed it with that in mind." Coran said. "Really, you'll love it. Teirm is a port city by the ocean, and it's practically always summer because of the warm sea mist."

"The ocean." Lance smiled slightly. He'd only been once, several several years ago, fell in love, and wanted to go back ever since. "Being a Dragon Rider and constant traveling really has its perks, huh?"

Coran laughed at that.

Blue landed in front of them, and for a split second Lance realized how terrifying that would be to an enemy. She was slowly getting bigger- now his head just barely reached her chest. He hopped off his horse and rushed to her.

 _Your dream boy has a fever._ Blue commented.

"He's not my dream boy!" Lance snapped out loud, turning red as he untied Keith from where he was hanging awkwardly under Blue's belly. Lance bit his lip- Keith really did have a fever. "Coran, we should hurry."

"Of course." Coran waved him along. "This way."

Somehow, Lance got to be holding onto Keith on the way there. His wanted to talk with him, to tell him it'd be alright and they were close to healing him, but he had promised he wouldn't talk to him mind-to-mind again, and Lance did not want to get attacked with the brain dagger.

"Who are we looking for in Teirm? Why did we come all this way?" Lance asked on the way there.

"My old friend Rax." Coran said. "He's from a family of merchants that smuggle supplies to the Varden through their businesses. The last time I saw him was sixteen years ago! He had just turned twelve."

"Coran?"

"Yes?"

"Sometimes I forget how old you are." Lance said honestly.

Something in Coran's eyes glittered. "I'm much older than you think I am." He said, and the subject dropped.

"Do you think Rax will have Túnivor's Nectar?" Lance asked instead.

"He's our best shot at it. He either trades in it, has merchant buddies who trade with it, or can help us steal it from the Empire."

Lance didn't exactly find that comforting. "Steal it?"

"Of course. They had an elf- they wouldn't poison him just to let him die. The Empire has the antidote."

Lance nodded. "Yah. And Teirm is a port city?"

"Meaning they trade all over."

"So this is our best shot."

"Yes." Coran said. "Rax can also give us directions to the Varden."

"I'm still not sold on the whole Varden thing." Lance admitted. "They seem dangerous."

"They are. They're cutthroat, and the higher up members double as dangerous politicians. The elves want to train you, the humans want to keep their claim on you, Zarkon wants to recruit you- everyone wants you except cute people you like!"

Lance scowled and nudged his horse to go faster.

Once inside the city limits, they started looking for Rax, and or a hotel to stay in. Coran found a hotel called the Blue Lion, and they went in. "Hello, I'm looking for Rax Balmeran?"

"I can tell you." Said the bartender. "Just need you to buy a drink first."

"Right! A water for the lad, and a whiskey for me." Coran wrapped an arm around Lance's shoulders and ruffled his hair. "I'm Carl, he's Larry."

"I'm Gerad." As Gerad nodded and prepared their drinks, he asked, "What business do you have with ol' Rax?"

"He's an old friend of mine." Coran said. He paid Gerad when the drinks came. "So where does he live?"

"We also need a healer." Lance blurted.

Gerad nodded. "You're in luck. Go down the road and to the right two times- the Balmeran family house is right next to an herbalist shop. The boy running it goes by Hunk. What do you need a healer for? You look to be in shape."

"A friend outside has a fever due to something he ate, and we wanted to see if there was a remedy."

"Ah, well, best of luck to you." Gerad said.

"Thank you!" Coran waved as they left.

-

When they followed the directions Gerad had given them, they arrived to an area of the street that rounded out, surrounded by houses. Seemingly shoved between two large mansions was a shack with dried herds hanging out in front. Lance held Keith's shuddering body closer. "You go find Rax, I'm going to get Keith some help."

"I'll come get you when I'm done, so stay put!" Coran said sternly, going to the first house. Lance jumped off his horse and knocked on the door of the herbalist shop. "Hello? Hunk?"

The door swung open to reveal a boy dressed in yellow. His hair was tied back with a bandanna, and stuffed in the pockets of his apron were herbs. He smiled brightly. "Hello. What brings you here?"

"Do you have Túnivor's Nectar?" Lance asked, and Hunk looked around before answering, "come inside."

Lance didn't really have any other options, so he did. Hunk's herbalist shop was a cozy place, even if the smell was off.

"I have some." Hunk said. "I'm guessing this is for you friend? Because you look fine."

Lance couldn't resist smiling. "Thank you. Yeh, it is, and seriously thank you so much."

"Oh, anything for a Dragon Rider." Hunk said dismissively, rummaging through his supplies as Lance gaped. "How did you-"

"Know?" Hunk had a glint in his eyes. "Just a feeling. And your hand is showing. Don't you have gloves?"

Lance cursed and put on his glove so it would cover his gedwëy ignasia. It was awkward with Keith cradled in his arms, but he managed. "Don't tell anyone."

"Are you kidding? I'm with the Varden, I'm not going to blow your cover. Though you could do a better job at keeping it." He pointed out as he pulled out a small bottle. "Here we go. Túnivor's Nectar."

"You are a godsend." Lance told him honestly as Hunk took Keith from his arms. He started muttering words in the Ancient Language- Lance recognized a few of them, words of healing -as he took him to the backroom. Lance almost followed, but a look from Hunk stopped him.

Lance couldn't do much except worry in the main room. He considered eating some of the herbs, but that would be rude to just take Hunk's stuff, and maybe it was poisonous or something. There was a metal rod that he picked up and it shocked him. He only put it down after another five seconds, when it shocked him again.

Eventually, after an eternity, Hunk came back. "He's better already, but I can't do much more until he wakes up and I can heal his internal wounds."

Lance let out the breath that had been gathering, frozen, in his chest. "Thank you so much."

"So... is he your boyfriend, or-"

"No!" Lance said quickly. "No no no nonono. No, I only actually met him once, and saved him from an Empire prison."

Hunk nodded. "Alright."

"But more importantly, you said you were with the Varden?"

"'Course. Anyone who hates the Empire right now is, or at least should be." Hunk shrugged. "I don't think you ever told me your name."

Lance decided to be truthful- if he couldn't trust Hunk, there was nothing in this world he could trust. "I'm Lance. The elf is Keith."

"I thought his ears were pointed." Hunk muttered. "Man, a Dragon Rider and an elf in my house in one day. Aren't I a lucky guy?" He chuckled.

"Seriously, thank you so much." Lance said. "I didn't want him to die."

"That would have sucked." Hunk agreed. "So what brings you to Teirm?"

"My traveling partner forgot directions to the Varden, and he's looking for a friend here to give directions. Rax Balmeran?"

"I know Rax! Well, I'm dating his sister, but that's not the point." Hunk said. "He's from a merchant family. They made their wealth by buying and selling rare crystals, and now they sneak goods and money to the Varden, through Arus."

Arus was a small kingdom that had declared independence from the Empire when Zarkon took over. He hadn't really cared enough to stop them. Guess it figured that they were with the Varden.

"Are the Varden hiding in Arus?"

"No." Hunk said. "It's not functional, and they wouldn't want to impede upon the lives of the citizens. The King does aid us though- he's promised troops, and without his funding, the Varden's soldiers would have starved by now."

"So where are they?"

"Ask your friend. I'm assuming he's the one with the bright orange mustache? The guy he's with is Rax."

Lance saw them through the shop window. Rax looked like a very sullen, serious dude in contrast to Coran. Coran had an arm wrapped around his shoulders as he led him to the herbalist shop.

"Lance!" Coran said as he burst through the door. "It's alright, we can trust Rax with your real name, and knowing you, you've already told him." He nodded to Hunk. Lance opened his mouth to protest before realizing he didn't have a foot to stand on, and closed his mouth.

"Is the other elf alright?" Rax asked.

"He'll be fine in a day or so." Hunk said. "Trust me, I'm a good healer."

"I want to know where the Varden is." Lance begged. "Please tell me please please pleeeease."

Coran and Rax looked at each other with a knowing smirk. "After Keith wakes up." Coran promised. "Come on, let's go eat dinner! Rax invited us!"

"Hunk, you are welcome as well." Rax said as Lance grabbed a pillow off of a chair.

"Sweet." Hunk said as Lance screamed into the pillow.

-

Rax's family had a very big house. Lance was slightly intimidated, and hung at the back of the group.

"Rax?" A girl with short hair jumped down the stairs. "Grandmother said we had visitors."

"It's your boyfriend, an elf, and a Dragon Rider." Lance waved.

The girl blinked as she landed on the ground. "Well then." She went up to Lance. "It is an honor to meet you, Dragon Rider."

"The honor is all mine." Lance said. "Your boyfriend may have just saved my friend's life."

Shay beamed. "Hunk! I'm so proud of you."

Hunk blushed and scratched the back of his neck. "It was nothing."

"So what's for dinner?" Coran asked. "Was that rude?"

"Grandmother is making soup." Shay said.

Lance beamed. "Sign me up!"

"Yes, that would be nice." Coran smiled. "I do love your grandmother's cave bug soup."

"Bugs?" Lance blinked, then shrugged, too hungry to care. "Bring on the bugs."

Rax and Shay's grandmother was really sweet, and her soup was good. "It's so good to see one of the Fair Folk again." She was saying to Coran. "Communications between the Varden and the elves have been stressed for a few weeks. And then the egg went missing..."

Lance held up his hand with the gedwëy ignasia on it. "But now you have a Rider. Which is, like, infinitely better than an egg."

"A Dragon Rider, here, in my house!" She said happily.

"We'll be staying until Keith wakes up, and then a few days after that to make sure he's back on his feet. Then it's off to the Varden." Coran said.

"We'll help you prepare." Rax offered.

"I want to go with them." Shay said, looking at her grandmother with big eyes. "Can I?"

"I'm going." Hunk interjected. "So you don't have to worry about her being with strangers."

"We will see." Grandmother said.

Lance stood up. "I'm finished, and I need to check on Blue."

"No worries!" Coran called as Lance ran out the door.

Teirm was quiet at night, with candles in the window, and only the sound of Lance's boots scuffing against the cobble pathway in the air. He ran out of town, waving to the guardsmen as he did. "Be back soon!" He promised.

Outside of town, he extended his mind, panting and holding out his arms, and called, _Blue!_

 _Lance!_ She bounded over happily. _How is Keith?_

 _We got him a healer. His name is Hunk, and he's dating Rax's sister._ Lance started describing the day in detail, leaning up against Blue's side. She listened intently.

When he was done, there was silence, then suddenly, _do you want to fly?_

 _Yes._ Lance responded without a second thought.

 _Get on my back._ She said, and Lance jumped on, buzzing with excitement. The first and last time he'd flown with Blue, he hadn't gotten to enjoy it much.

Blue jumped up, and Lance grabbed one of the neck spikes offered in front of him. He was suddenly grateful for the thin leather saddle Coran had made to help them escape from Gil'ead. Her wings were powerful and carried them off off off the ground. The wind and the air hit Lance in the face, messing up his hair.

He was grinning. "This is amazing!" He yelled, his words ripped from his throat and lost to the air. Blue heard him though, and that was all that mattered.

 _Get ready._ She said, and Lance almost asked for what, but then it happened.

Blue wasn't an overly dark blue, or a very light one. That meant she stuck out equally against the daytime sky, and the nighttime sky. She blended in beautifully with the ocean, Lance thought as she dived towards the water and a spray hit his face. He would have been content with just that, the salty spray in his face, flying over the sea, but Blue dived right in.

It was cold. Blue swam in the water, doing spirals and twists and loops. Lance couldn't see anything because it was so dark. He felt the water rush past him, and the salt stung his smile, but he refused to let it falter.

Blue went up just as his lungs couldn't take it anymore. He panted, hugging her neck and grinning from ear to ear.

 _Think Coran knows a spell for me to breathe underwater?_ Lance asked Blue lazily.

 _Most likely_. Blue looked at the sky. _It is late. Go sleep, little human_.

He did, collapsing on the bed Rax had pointed out to him and passing out, still smiling.

-

Lance slept in the next day, and saw Coran had left him a note. _Off to get supplies with Rax, will be gone most of the day! Practice your magic but only what I've shown you. If you absolutely have to try something new, make sure Hunk is with you. He's sensible, I trust him._

Lance snorted and got dressed. Maybe he'd grab some breakfast, than go explore the town, find a secluded corner, and practice lifting pebbles all afternoon. Yay. Fun.

On the way down to the kitchen to find breakfast, he ran into Shay. "Oh, Lance." She smiled. "Hunk said to tell you that you should drop by his shop whenever you can today- it's important."

"How important?" Lance asked, just curious.

"Very." Shay said cryptically, with a wink, then skipped off.

Lance sighed, then decided whatever was so important had a very  _slight_ higher level of urgency than breakfast. He went outside, messed up his hair as he did, and knocked on Hunk's door.

It was not Hunk who answered. 

It was Keith, his hair a wild tangle of black, with narrowed dark eyes, and pale skin. He was shorter than Lance, but just barely. They were practically the same height. he was dressed in red, and his pants were tucked into worn out leather boots. The same outfit he'd been captured in. His knife was in the sheath on his belt, and the hilt was wrapped in a bandage, covering up the strange symbol. 

Lance was suddenly aware his hair was a mess, and probably not in a fashionable way, and his clothes were rumpled, and his breath probably smelled. His cheeks turned slightly red.

"Who are you?" Keith asked, hand drifting towards his knife.

"Who am I?" Lance spluttered indignantly. "Uh, the name's Lance! I saved your life!"

"Pretty sure that was Hunk." Keith said.

Lance scowled, and shoved his silvery gedwëy ignasia into Keith's face. "I saved your life. If it weren't for me and Blue, you'd be rotting in a cell in Gil'ead. So, you're welcome."

Keith blinked, and pushed his hand down. "You? _You're_ the Dragon Rider that named your dragon  _Blue_." 

"She liked it! And you didn't  _recognize_ me?" Lance tried and failed not to feel hurt. 

"I've never seen you before. We had a limited contact when we talked. I was mostly focused on keeping my secrets safe, not figuring out what you looked like."

"I wouldn't have-"

"I didn't know you were a Dragon Rider." Keith snapped. "For all I knew, Sendak was trying to snoop on my memories again, and find out where Shi- where the Varden were."

"Sendak?" Lance asked.

"The Shade." Keith shivered. "That's his name. Not a good guy. So, ah, thank you. For busting me out. You didn't have to do that."

"Yah I did." Lance shrugged. "I had dreams about you. You were kinda suffering. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I had just... left you."

Keith held out his hand. "You did me a favor. I'll repay it someday."

"Actually, I have a way you can repay it now." Lance grinned. "Can you teach me magic?"

"I'm not very good at it." Keith replied sharply. "Mostly just fire."

"Alright." Lance was still buzzing. He pointed at Keith's knife. "Can you teach me how to sword fight?"

Keith cracked a small grin at that. "I can do that."

"Ah, so you two are getting acquainted!" Hunk said, running out. "Keith woke up, just a half hour ago."

"Hunk proceeded to shove vegetables down my throat." Keith commented.

"They're healing herbs and you know it! Anyways, he's free to go out and about as he pleases now."

Lance looked at him. "You  _just_ woke up?"

Keith shrugged. "Let's go."

-

Keith led him to a secluded area of the town, and pulled out his knife. Lance had Aeternitas in its sheath on his belt, for once, and Keith gestured to it. "Get your sword."

"What?"

"I'm going to teach you to swordfight, obviously." Keith looked exasperated. "So draw your sword."

_He just woke up from a magically induced coma. I can't fight him!_

"But you-" Lance started to voice his thought, and Keith interrupted him. "The best way to learn is by doing. Attack me."

"I don't want to hurt you." Lance said.

Keith gave him a look halfway between exasperation and endearment. "You can't. I learned from the best."

"Fine." Lance said, pulling out Aeternitas. He attacked without warning, hoping to catch him by surprise.

Almost bored, Keith blocked his strikes. "Too obvious. Your form's sloppy." He yawned and disarmed him easily. Aeternitas clattered to the ground.

"Woah." Lance whispered.  _He beat me with his tiny little knife!_

"Don't feel bad." Keith said, pushing his hair out of his face. "I've been practicing since I could walk, and like I said- I learned from the best."

Lance grabbed his sword. "Teach _me_ , then. I want to drive a sword through Zarkon's heart."

"Slow down, try to last five seconds first." Keith said dryly. "Knees slightly bent, come on."

Keith walked Lance through the movements slowly, and acted out the moves very dramatically and slowly. Lance tried very hard. 

"Want to try again?" Keith asked with a slight grin. 

_He wants to duel AGAIN? He kicked my ass last time!_

"If I win, you have to kiss me." Lance said impulsively.

Keith raised an eyebrow, eyes widening. Lance worried that had been rude, or too forward, but Keith just said, "Deal. But when I win, you get to take me to see your dragon."

"Fair enough." Lance shrugged and Keith attacked in a flurry of movement, and Lance was too slow to fend him off. Keith wrenched his sword away, and held it up to Lance's throat. 

"So." He said conversationally. "Can we see Blue now?"

Lance smiled. "Whoever taught you is  _amazing_. Can I learn from them?"

"No." Keith said tartly, and his neutral, even happy, expression turned bitter.

"Why not? Are they dead?"

"No." Keith said again, and gave Lance a look like  _hey, I'm holding a sword and I don't like this subject. Your call._

Lance dropped it. "Let's go see Blue then."

Keith tucked his knife away, and handed the sword back to Lance. "I don't know how you got Aeternitas." He said. "I thought it was lost with its Rider."

Lance gulped. "The previous owner of this sword... died?"

"No. Went into hiding. Zarkon killed his dragon, Altea, and he had some notion he needed to wait for the next Dragon Rider."

Lance froze as Keith kept walking. Eventually, the elf noticed. "What's wrong?"

"Was the Rider's name Coran?" Lance whispered.

"Yah?" Keith saw Lance's look of shock. "Oh. You didn't know."

"He told me he wasn't a Dragon Rider!"

"He isn't. Not anymore." Keith shrugged. "Elves are tricky like that."

"You say that like you're not one." Lance noticed.

Keith frowned, then his expression smoothed over. "Come on, Shur'tugal. Let's go see your dragon."

Lance went after him.  _He's nice enough, I guess. A bit secretive. Competitive. We might not get along for very long stretches of time._

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Lance said as they walked through the city.

"You already did, but sure." Keith said absently.

"What was it like? As Zarkon's prisoner?"

Lance worried he'd crossed a line- Keith froze, and his hand trembled slightly. "Bad." He said finally. 

"I saw the wounds." Lance reminded him. 

"I thought I was going to die." Keith whispered. "And since I wasn't giving up information, I was going to be brought before Zarkon himself within the week. He would have broken any defenses I had on my mind, ripped my true name from me, and forced me to tell him everything I knew, and then it would be... over, I guess. So... thank you. You... came just in time." Keith looked at him, and Lance realized his eyes were shining. 

"What's a true name? The Shade asked me for mine."

"You know how in the Ancient Language, everything has a real, true name that can be used to use magic? Same for people. Your true name is... who you  _are_. It can be used to control you, and should only be given to people you trust." 

"Does Zarkon have one?"

"Sure, but no one knows it." Keith snorted. "As if."

"How do I learn my true name?" Lance asked.

"You just... figure it out." Keith shrugged. "I can't explain it, really."

 _If I do find out, I'd tell it to Blue._ Lance decided. Speaking of Blue, he and Keith were now at the gates of Teirm, meaning he was within range to talk to her.

 _Keith woke up_. He called out.  _I'm bringing him to see you._

He could feel Blue's presence, but she wasn't responding. Finally, she said,  _you think he's pretty._

 _What? No! I have_ much  _better taste in men._ Lance retorted.  _I've declared him my rival. I'm going to beat him in a sword fight._

Blue gave an impression of a very doubtful affirmation.  _I'll meet you two on the hill._

 _Got it._ Lance turned off their link momentarily to talk to Keith. "Out of town, there's a hill. She'll meet us there."

"What's talking to her like?" Keith asked.

"Like freedom." Was the only way Lance knew how to respond.

"Flying?"

"Like freedom." Lance said again, smiling. "I wouldn't trade her for anything."

"Kinda how I feel about my knife." Keith mumbled. Lance was confused, but let it go.

Blue was waiting for them on top of the hill, wagging her tail. "Hey." Lance called up at her. 

 _He_ is  _pretty._ Blue commented.  _Much more animated than before._

"Shut up." Lance muttered, and realized he said it out loud.

"What was that? Did she say something?" Keith blinked.

"Yah, just that she was grateful you were awake, finally." Lance said quickly. 

Keith stepped forward, hands out. "Do you remember me? I carried you. Sometimes I talked to you."

Blue seemed amused.  _Tell him I remember every word, and that's its nice to finally talk back._

Lance did, and Keith somehow seemed flustered. "Ah. Right." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyways, you're looking well."

 _I like him!_ Blue said happily, and Lance could tell she had projected that to Keith too. She leaned down to nudge his chest with her nose. Keith patted her snout. "Approval." He said.

Lance looked at the horizon. "Holy crow, it's actually getting pretty late."

Keith looked at the sunset as it fell across the water. "Yah, it is."

"We should go back. Aren't you hungry?"

"Kind of, I guess."

Lance grinned. "You're gonna love Grandma's bug soup. See ya, Blue!"

 _Goodnight, small human._ Blue purred. 

-

"Coran?" Lance knocked at the door Rax had told him lead to Coran's room. "Can we talk?"

Coran opened up, smiling and brushing his mustache. "What is it, my boy?"

"Why didn't you tell me Aeternitas was yours?" Lance asked quietly.

Coran's smile fell, and he sighed, setting down his mustache brush. "I had a feeling Keith would end up telling you."

"What happened? Why didn't you tell me? Dragon Rider solidarity?"

"After I lost Altea..." Coran sighed. "I didn't feel I could claim the mantel of Dragon Rider ever again. I felt... like a part of me was gone. I had the magic, the sword, the training, but no dragon. I was lost. So I rescued an egg... I made a specific claim for the blue one... and then I went to Carvahall. For no reason other than it seemed very far away from all the magic I was disconnected from."

Lance looked down. "I miss Carvahall. I want to go back, but I'm changing. I've changed in just... how long has it been? Maybe a few weeks? Less? I don't belong where I thought I did. I understand literally nothing of what's happening, but I have a dragon! Who chose me! To be her rider? What am I supposed to do with that? Stop Zarkon and... then what?"

"Ah. I feel disconnected in the now because of my past, and you feel disconnected from the now because of your future." Coran put a hand on Lance's shoulder. He held up his other hand, and whispered a few words. Water appeared above his hand, and he scrubbed at his palm. Some kind of dye or concealer started to rub off, and revealed his silvery gedwëy ignasia. "Maybe we can reconcile both. The past and the future."

Lance smiled. "Have I mentioned that you're like... you know the weird uncle in your family who comes around every few holidays, makes a fool of himself, and gives you profound life advice? That's what you are to me."

Coran smiled, and Lance noticed he was tearing up. "Thank you, Lance."

"Hey, it's alright. Thanks for being honest now. Goodnight."

"Sleep well, we leave early."

Lance left the room, and started thinking.  _My future..._

_-_

Keith snuck out the window of his room to sit on the roof and watch the stars. His knife was in his hands as he fidgeted with it. A flash of memories appeared every time he closed his eyes. 

_Then you've chosen to be ALONE._

He took a shaky breath and held his knife closer to his chest. "This is fine." He whispered to the stars. 

"Please tell me I made the _right_ choice." Keith whispered. " _Please_."

He closed his eyes and breathed. He'd sleep better up here.

Better didn't mean good.

He woke up with the sun, squinting as it got in his eyes. His knife had fallen a bit away from him, and he quickly snatched it back up. The others were gathered below. He jumped down, landing right in front of Lance. Lance looked at him with a funny expression that Keith couldn't quite place.

"I'm here, let's go." He said stiffly, walking off.

The others- Lance, Coran, Hunk, and his girlfriend -followed his lead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just think its important to mention that throughout most of the beginning of this chapter, even if it isn't directly stated in every paragraph, lance was cradling keith in his arms. reverse bonding moment
> 
> my tumblr is witchlightsands i track the tag the tale of the blue dragon rider and i love attention
> 
> ps, the next chapter is called "Fortune"


	7. Fortune

"Keith is slow." Lance said to Coran, frowning. "Think he's even coming?"

"Give him some time." Coran said patiently. 

"But we've been waiting for, like, an  _hour_."

"Lance, it's been fifteen minutes." Hunk said as he rummaged around in his sack of herbs. "Besides, we're not leaving until dawn."

"Which is still very early." Shay commented. Lance wasn't sure if she'd been allowed permission to go, or if she was just going anyways, and Lance wasn't sure if he was allowed to ask, so he didn't. 

He groaned and kicked a rock. "This is boring. Can we get to the action yet? I want to sword fight bad guys!"

Coran looked amused. "You'll get your chance to sword fight bad guys, don't you worry."

Lance crossed his arms and started to pout. He gestured to the east. "And look, now there's the sun, and he's still not here. Let's go."

As if on cue, Keith dropped down from the sky, right in front of Lance, knife in hand, hair a little wild. Lance gulped. Keith blinked, and straightened up. "I'm here, let's go." His words were stiff, and forced. He walked away, leaving them no choice but to follow.

"What is  _his_ problem?" Lance muttered to Hunk as they walked. Maybe he'd thought Keith was cool when he first met him- cool, collected, a little cute. But no longer, now that he'd turned as unapproachable as a rock. Hunk just shrugged. "Who knows, man."

They walked out of the city, Keith keeping a safe distance from the others. Lance decided he'd better at least put in the effort to talk to him, seeing as he was the only person who could teach him how to sword fight bad guys.

"So." Lance said, sliding up to walk next to Keith, who just looked slightly annoyed. "Where were you? Why did you fall from the sky?"

"I didn't  _fall_." Keith huffed. "I jumped. I slept on the roof."

"You slept on the-" Lance blinked, then shrugged, deciding it wasn't worth it. "Who taught you to fight? You're really good."

"I told you- the best." 

"Where do the elves live?"

"Cities, lots of them. We don't all live in one place, that'd be impractical."

"Do you know anything about the other eggs?" Lance asked, hoping a non personal topic would break the forming ice, but Keith just looked sad. 

"No. It's rumored the green and yellow eggs were saved, but no one knows where they were hidden. It's more likely they're shattered by now." Keith said. "The red egg is still in Zarkon's possession."

"Oh." Lance said. "What can you tell me about Zarkon?"

"I honestly don't know much." Keith sighed. "I'm sixteen, no one tells me anything." Lance might have heard,  _or lets me do anything_ muttered under Keith's breath, but the conversation continued and the thought disappeared from Lance's mind. "I know he's a powerful magic user, and great at reading minds. His dragon, Haggar-"

"What can you tell me about Haggar?" Lance interrupted. "I've lived in the Empire my whole life, I know kind of about Zarkon, but no one talks about Haggar."

"I was _getting_ to that. She's old, and very powerful. And I can't confirm the rumors, but I heard she learned to harness her dragon magic, and that makes her... formidable."

"Dragon magic?"

"Dragons are creatures of magic. That's why they give their Riders the power. Usually they can't control their own magic, but when it happens, it's miraculous, almost." Keith shrugged. "This one time, Cae- a dragon made a poisoned river clean." 

"That's amazing." Lance imagined what it was like to have that much power. Being a dragon must be awesome.

"We're at the gates, act natural." Keith said, pulling up his hood to better hide his ears.

"I  _was_ acting natural until you said- hello, officer." Lance grinned. 

The soldier nodded, and they walked out of the city with no problem. Keith had a smirk on his face- Lance glared at him. "You knew no matter how awkward I was they were going to let us pass because not even  _I_ could screw up that badly."

"The expression on your face was priceless." Keith said. 

Lance huffed. "Is that why you have such long hair? To hide your ears? Or is it just a failed fashion statement?"

Keith frowned. "What do you have against my hair?"

"Nothing!" Lance held up his hands in an act of innocence. Keith rolled his eyes, walked faster, and Lance could tell the conversation had come to an end.

 _I just don't know what's with him_. He told Blue now that she was in range.  _One minute he's friendly, sort of, the next he's brushing me off._

_Lance, you're pining._

_What? Impossible, I just met the guy._ Lance huffed. 

"Lance!" Coran waved at him, and Lance realized just how far away from the group he and Keith had been. "Tell Blue we'll meet her on the hill overlooking the harbor!"

Lance relayed the rendezvous point to Blue, and she acknowledged it, and sent an image of her flying there. 

"Coran, tell me more about the Dragon Riders." Lance said. 

"What do you want to know about them?"

"Don't dragons live forever? But humans only live so long, so isn't that sad for them? You were sad when you lost Altea, would she have felt the same if you died?" Lance blinked. "That was too personal, wasn't it?"

"It's fine." Coran smiled, but his eyes looked like he was remembering. "A human Dragon Rider becomes more like an elf as time goes on. Not completely, obviously, but pointed ears, and a longer lifespan are definitely factors of it. Dragon Riders can't die natural deaths- they don't grow old, and they don't get sick."

"I can live forever?"  _I'm going to outlive my family._ Lance thought. "I'm going to get  _pointed ears_?"

"Yes!" Coran beamed. 

Shay laughed at Lance's expression. "You look very alarmed."

Lance rubbed his forehead. "This is all very confusing."

"At first, it must be." Coran said. "But we can find the other eggs, and then there'll be other Dragon Riders, and then they'll be the confused ones, and you can help them!"

"Yah, I can do that." Lance smiled. 

"Good!"

Up on the hill, Blue was waiting for them, head tilted.  _We go to the Varden?_ She asked the group. Hunk and Shay, unused to her speaking within their minds, gasped. Shay bowed her head. "It is an honor to meet you, great dragon."

Blue fluffed up her wings, and straightened her neck.  _Did you hear that, Lance? She called me great dragon._

 _Don't let it go to your head._ Lance said, knowing full well he would let it go to his head if someone called him 'great Dragon Rider'. Blue was aware of this too, and gave the dragon equivalent of a snicker. 

"So what now?" Keith crossed his arms. 

"The Varden are hiding out in the Beor Mountains." Coran announced. 

"Wait, really?" Lance blinked. "Aren't the Beor's three times taller than the Spine, and twice as dangerous?"

"Of course not!" Coran said. "It's four times more dangerous!  _If_ you don't know where to go." He winked. "But you have me, your handy tour guide, to help!"

"You know the dwarves?" Hunk asked.

"Yah?"

"The Varden are hiding with them in a city mountain called Farthen Dur."

Lance blinked. "You're pulling my leg, no way."

"That sounds incredible." Shay said.

"Eh." Keith shrugged. "It's pretty, but it's all...  _inside_."

Lance shook his head.  _Blue, no way this is real. That's it, this is all an elaborate hoax. Even Blue is smoke and mirrors. I've been talking to my own head._

Blue whacked his shoulder with her tail. "Hey!" Lance yelped. Blue snorted, smoke huffing out her nostrils. 

"Well, in any case, we better get a move on. The Varden is a long way from here."

"Alright." Lance rubbed his shoulder.  _That hurt._

 _But did it assure you I am real?_ Blue asked.  _This is real. You are going to a dwarf city mountain accompanied by a magic healer, his girlfriend, two elves and a dragon. This is the now, so make use of it, Lance._

_I never asked for this._

_I know._ Blue sounded sympathetic.

"Lance!" Hunk called, and Lance realized they were starting to leave him. He ran down the hill to catch up. "Hold on, I'm coming!"

-

They traveled, keeping close to the River, but not close enough to be seen from the other bank. By the time they stopped for the night, Coran announced they were halfway to Woardark Lake, which he said split the river's current. From there, their next stop would be Dras-Leona to resupply, then onto the Varden.

Lance was taking a well deserved rest, sitting on Blue as if they were ready to fly at any point, and chatting aimlessly with her, when Keith walked up to him. "Come on, get your sword."

"What? But it's almost night time." Lance pointed at the setting sun. 

"Do you want to learn how to sword fight or not?" Keith sighed. 

"No, I do." Lance patted Blue's neck and hopped down, grabbing Aeternitas off the ground and shrugging with a grin. "Come on, hit me with your best shot."

Keith sighed again. Lance made him sigh a lot. _Was that a good thing?_

"Get in position." Keith said, and the second Lance was portraying some semblance of being ready, he attacked, yelling out not so helpful advice like "block!" and "duck, you idiot!" Lance lasted a total of ten seconds before Keith knocked his sword away, and held his knife to Lance's throat. "And I win, again."

"It's only been three times!" Lance argued. "I can't become a master swordsman in three times!"

Keith snorted. "Tell me about it."

"Look, when you decide to be nice, come find me." Lance snapped. "Otherwise, just leave me alone."

"What did I do?" Lance heard Keith mutter, kicking the ground. Lance felt bad, a little. 

 _You shouldn't take out your frustration that you can't fight good on him._ Blue said helpfully.  _It doesn't help either of you._

 _I'll apologize later, I'm going to go find Hunk._ Lance replied, and she must have gotten the impression he didn't want to talk, because she left him alone.

Hunk was sitting on the edge of the camp, messing with things in his bag. Lance sat in front of him. "What does this do?" He asked, pointing to a brown leather bag.

Hunk winked mischievously. "Promise not to tell?"

"Promise." Lance said.

"They're dragon knuckle bones- sorry, Blue, nothing personal." Hunk said. 

Lance blinked. "Why do you need dragon bones?"

"To tell the future." Hunk said.

"You- there were crystal balls in your shop-"

"Hah, those are for show because rich people pay for them." Hunk held up the bag. "These are real magic. I don't offer to read just anyone's real fortune."

"What?" Lance whispered. "Then why me?"

"Because you're a Dragon Rider. The last person's fortune I read was some soldier. I think his name was Thace. Anyways." Hunk shook the bag. "Want your fortune told?"

"Spill." Lance grinned, and to his surprise Hunk must have taken that literally because he spilled the contents of the brown bag onto the ground. He held the bones in each hand, and Lance watched silently as he muttered words in the Ancient Language- "Manin! Wyrda! Hugin!”

He threw the bones onto the ground and they lay in a jumbled mess. Lance blinked at them, then looked up at Hunk. "Well?"

"Your future  _sucks_." Hunk whispered. "But hey, look." He pointed at one of the bones with a symbol on it- a line with a circle resting on it. "That means you're going to have a long life. Makes sense, since you're a Dragon Rider."

"So I won't die young? Awesome." Lance grinned. "That doesn't seem too bad, what else do you got for me?"

Hunk sighed. "You have a lot of choices ahead of you, Lance. And your decisions  _are_ going to impact the entirety of Alagaësia. That's a lot of responsibility, and a lot of people are going to hate you for it."

"Oh, joy." Lance said.  _Suddenly, this isn't as fun._

Hunk's frown got even more frownier. "There's great danger ahead of you. You're going to get undone by your own folly."

"What does that even mean?" Lance yelped. "If I have so many choices, you're telling me one of them is going to end up destroying me? What happened to that long life!"

"I think it's a little clearer here." Hunk pointed to where two bones touched. "There's the sign for danger, and your own undoing, but you may not mind it so much because it intersects this symbol- it's for love, Lance. You're going to fall in love."

"What?" Lance turned red. "Who are they?"

"I don't know, but you're both strong willed, and you're going to get yourselves into trouble."

"Hence the own undoing stuff." Lance sighed. "Can you tell me anything else about this love interest of mine?"

"I don't know how it ends, but I think it's a good thing. Sorry, the bones are really hard to read. I can tell that great change is coming, and fast. That may not be a good thing."

"Danger, change, love, long life, got it." Lance rubbed his arms. "Anything about Blue?"

"This is your fortune, not her's." Hunk laughed a little. "But if I'm interpreting this bone right-" he pointed, "-you're going to have a lifelong companion. That could easily be Blue."

 _Hear that, Blue? We're going to be together forever._ Lance called to her. She hummed in response. 

"So this is my fortune? Can I change it?"

"I've never met anyone who learned their fortune and changed it. More like their attempts to change it lead it to happen in the first place." Hunk patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, it'll all end up fine."

"Fine." Lance repeated, frowning. "Can you teach me magic?"

"My powers pale in comparison to Coran's." Hunk pointed out. "Best to learn from him. Speaking of-"

"Hello Hunk!" Coran waved as he walked over and sat down next to Lance. "Ah, knuckle bones! Where did you get those?" He asked as Hunk started to pick them back up. 

"Some Galra soldier was selling them out in Dras Leona earlier this year. He obviously didn't know their true power, because I got them for a steal."

Coran nodded. "I don't suppose you were just simply showing him, were you?"

"That's for Lance to say." Hunk shrugged. "I want to talk to Shay, and I'm hungry. Bye."

"Bye." Lance said quietly, waving.

Coran raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to tell me, or-"

"He was reading my future."

"That's an imprecise art, but it's never wrong, if read correctly." Coran sighed. "I got my future read once. In not so many words, it said I would be alone for years, and that I would loose and find my purpose. I didn't know what it meant until Altea..." He cleared his throat. "In any case, it came true."

"But couldn't I just say, 'oh, well, you're going to be in great danger', and then that could be true?"

"If that's what the bones said, that is what is going to happen." Coran said finally. "Lance? You look a little pale, are you alright?"

"Fine."  _LOVE? I'm going to fall in love? And that's what's going to end up getting me- us? -hurt? What about choices? I don't like my future._ "Teach me magic."

Coran straightened up. "Alright, listen up. To control the earth..."

Lance listened to him talk, learned the words, and practiced quietly when instructed. From the other end of the camp, Blue watched, smoke billowing out of her nostrils.

-

Keith crossed his arms and looked at the city called Dras Leona. "It's ugly." He said. "What's that great hulking black thing?"

"That would be Helgrind." Coran came up behind him to say. "It's the object of their religion, which involves human sacrifice and death!"

"Really?" Keith asked as he looked back at the three humans in his traveling party. (Did Lance count?) They'd been traveling for days, and as much as Keith detested Dras Leona, they needed to resupply. "Well, let's keep these ones safe from that then."

"Agreed." Coran nodded.

"Safe from what?" Shay asked.

Keith opened his mouth to answer, but Coran interrupted him. "Dras Leona is a fierce city. Keep weapons on you at all times."

"Not that I know how to use mine." Lance glared pointedly at Keith. Keith scowled.  _You're a fast learner, and more skilled now than any other human could ever hope to be, and you have the_ nerve  _to complain about my teaching? Are you comparing yourself to me? Why?_ He kept his mouth shut and opted to roll his eyes. 

"You have magic." Coran pointed out. "But try not to reveal yourselves anyways. Blue-"

 _Yes, I know. Hide a bit away from the city._ She sighed.  _When we defeat Zarkon, promise I can go into any city I please._

"Promise." Lance said, patting her side. "But from the looks of it, Dras Leona isn't the place to be. Are we sure there aren't any other cities or towns?"

"Just stay together and away from the soldiers." 

"I'm gonna go check it out." Keith said, pulling up his hood around his ears. 

"Hold on." Lance grabbed his hood to keep him from running off. "We need a rendezvous point. Coran?"

"An inn." Hunk suggested. "We'd only need to stay here a day or two anyways. No sick elves to hold us back- no offense, Keith."

Keith bristled, but Coran spoke before he could. "What an excellent idea! We'll all go find an inn, _then_ you can run off and find whatever supplies you need."

"Sounds good." Shay said happily.

"Whatever." Keith shrugged. 

"Then off we go!" Coran smiled, and marched on down into the city. Out of the corner of his eye, Keith saw Lance press his forehead against Blue's before running after the group. Blue went further up the river, away from Dras Leona.

Dras Leona smelled terrible, like waste and rotting food. "They let people  _live_ here?" Keith coughed. 

"The inner circles are nicer." Hunk promised. 

Keith felt someone pull at his cloak, and he whipped around, knife already halfway out of the sheath, but it was just a little girl. She was scrawny, like she was starving. Keith frowned at her. "Where are your parents?"

"Sick." She said. "Do you have food?"

"Lance, do we have food?" Keith called.

"Let me check." Lance called back, digging in his sack. He tossed Keith a roll of bread. Keith leaned down and offered it to the girl. "Here." He smiled. "Take it."

She blinked, and snatched the roll out of his hands, whispered "thank you" and dashed off between two old and half broken buildings. Keith watched her go. "I hate this city." He muttered, and stormed to the front of the group.

As Hunk had promised, the inner circles of the city were a  _lot_ nicer. And they smelled nicer, too. The people milling about didn't look sick or starving. Keith growled. "Have I mentioned I hate this city?"

"Every city has this difference but here it's so... pronounced." Shay shuddered.

Lance looked around like he was confused. "But... there were people hurting and suffering just a few seconds ago?"

"Welcome to Dras Leona." Coran gestured around. 

"Terrible city, really." Hunk commented under his breath.

"Let's just get supplies and go." Keith said, pulling his hood up further as if that would hide him better. 

They found a cheap inn called the Blue Turtle, where they got two rooms to share between them. They drew straws to decide who would get which room (and by extension, whether they could sleep on the bed or the floor). Hunk, Shay, and Lance ended up having to share a room, leaving Keith with Coran.

"You're from Ellesméra, aren't you?" Coran asked when they were putting their stuff down. Keith jumped slightly, then frowned. "Why do you want to know?"

"Just trying to make conversation." Coran shrugged.

Keith huffed. "Yah, well, I'm not interested." He paused. "How did you even guess Ellesméra?"

"It would be convenient for you to be from the capital, where they would have kept Blue's egg until a carrier offered to ferry her to the Varden. Plus, your accent."

Keith sighed. "Yes, I'm from Ellesméra."

"You look familiar."

"I get that a lot." Keith dodged the real question- _who are you related to again?_ "Come on, the others are probably waiting for us, we should spread out and get supplies."

"Good idea. But stick together in groups of two!"

"But there's an odd number of us." Keith argued.

Coran smiled. "I'm hundreds of years old and highly trained- I count as two."

Coran patted him on the head, which Keith wasn't sure how to feel about, and waltzed out of the room. Keith sighed and followed him.

Of course, Hunk and Shay had already paired up together, because that's just what couples _do_. Keith wouldn't have minded, but that left him with Lance, and he was pretty sure the Dragon Rider hated him. So now Keith had to wander around a city he hated with a person who hated him. Joy.

Lance crossed his arms. "Let's get this over with, mullet."

_What did I do???_

-

"Over there." Lance said, pointing. "Maybe that store has something we need."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Keith pointed a bit aways to the side of the store. "Galra soldiers. And look, they have posters with your face."

"Should I get a hood like yours?" Lance asked, looking back at his travel companion and shopping partner. He hated shopping. Being a wanted man wasn't helping him in his hatred of shopping. He sighed. "Come on, let's just go."

"Why are you so passive aggressive today?" Keith snapped. "What did I do, just tell me so I can say sorry and we can actually get our jobs done."

"I'm not passive aggressive!" Lance snapped right back, hurt by the accusation. "At least, not to you! You're fine!"

"Then stop snapping at me."

"You started it!"

"You know what, fine, whatever. Coran never has to know, let's just split up now. Meet me back here in an hour" Keith stalked off. 

"Fine!" Lance called after him, because he was a little petty and wanted the last word. "Whatever, I don't need him." He snorted.

Lance walked through the city for a while before realizing he had no idea where anything was and he was completely lost. There was a massive citadel looking over the city, and it was impossible to loose, so Lance started to head towards it, thinking maybe from that vantage point he could get back to where he was supposed to be.

"Hey!" A girl's voice called out. "You! In the blue!"

Lance turned around, thinking it sounded familiar, then suddenly Keith was there, and he yelled out, "Lance, get back!"

The girl who was running up the hill to meet Lance was Nyma. Her face was dirty, and her hair was a mess. Keith pointed his knife at her. "Lance, I said get  _back._ She's a werecat."

Keith was blocking his view, but Lance managed to look at Nyma. "Lance, please help me." She begged. "The soldiers got Rolo, earlier this week. He's here in Dras Leona, but I don't know for how long. I need to save him before they kill him. Please, Rolo is like a brother to me."

"Why would I help you?" Lance asked coldly. "You've burned us before."

"Because you're a good, kind, forgiving person." Nyma batted her eyes.

"Incorrect I am a harsh, petty, unforgiving garbage bag human, what else you got?"

Nyma sighed. "I'll pay you 60 crowns."

"Deal." Lance said. Keith turned to glare at him. "What?" He hissed. "We need the money."

"Werecats are tricky, Lance. We better be careful."

"We?"

"Like hell I'm letting you wander off with her alone." Keith muttered, but he put his knife away.

Nyma looked at him critically. "You're an elf."

"How did you know that?" Lance gasped.

"Same way I know you're a Dragon Rider. Werecat intuition."

"My hood is down and you have a history of being terrible with hiding your shining palm, Lance." Keith deadpanned. 

Nyma smirked. "Maybe."

"Wait, so you're really a werecat?" Lance asked.

"Yes." Nyma said. "But please, can we hurry? Rolo is in danger."

"Wait." Keith grabbed Lance's sleeve before he ran off down the hill after Nyma. She paused and looked back up at them. Keith scowled at her and leaned closer to Lance, lowering his voice. "Are you sure this is a good idea? We should at least tell Coran or Hunk and Shay where we're going-"

"We'll be back at the hotel with Nyma, Rolo, and sixty crowns before midnight." Lance promised, making sure to put on his best cocky smirk. "Besides, I've pulled off successful prison breaks before."

"You needed Coran and Blue to help rescue you."

"Yah, and you were comatose. Point is, things are different now."

"Are you two going to gossip all day?" Nyma called up. "Come on, we  _need_ to go."

"Coming." Lance called down, then looked back at Keith. "Look, this all boils down to one thing- do you trust my instincts?"

"They're saying this  _isn't_ a terrible idea?" Keith said skeptically. 

Lance looked him in the eye, and Keith met the eye contact. "Do you trust me?"

Keith frowned. "Fine. Yes, I do."

"Thank you." Lance nodded, a little surprised. "Nyma, hold on! We're on the way!"

-

Hunk and Shay were almost done getting their share of the supplies when Shay pointed out a tall blonde girl, followed by Lance and Keith. "What are they doing?"

"Think she stole something?" Hunk asked. 

"Come on." Shay waved him on, and they ran through the streets of Dras Leona. Hunk managed to cut off the blonde girl's route, with Shay at her side. She looked more annoyed than anything.

"Hey! Hunk!" Lance waved to him, smiling. "Hey, it's alright! This is Nyma. She's a werecat."

"Wow." Hunk said. "Werecats are known for being elusive and secretive."

"Wow." Shay echoed, holding out her hand to Nyma. "Nice to meet you."

Nyma smiled and shook her hand. "A pleasure."

"Come on, we don't have time for pleasantries." Keith said as he walked up behind Lance. "Her friend has been taken prisoner by Zarkon's soldiers. He's in the prison at the edge of the city, and we need to save him before tonight."

"Why tonight?"

"To give us time to gather supplies and get the hell out of this city." Lance grinned. "Can you help us?"

"Of course." Hunk said without a second thought.

"Rolo is a werecat too. That's why they arrested him. And, well, for theft, but they were going to let him go before they found out he was a werecat." Nyma shrugged. "Can we please just hurry?"

"That's what I've been saying." Keith muttered. 

"Let's hurry." Shay agreed. Nyma smiled at her.

Sneaking around the perimeter of the prison, they broke into two teams- Nyma, Shay, and Hunk would cause a distraction, while Keith and Lance would actually go in and save Rolo. Lance was a bit away from the group, holding his head. Hunk went up to him. "You alright? Headache?"

"No. We're on the very edge of the city. Blue is close enough to where I can talk to her. Not... not very close. But enough. Just trying to focus." Lance smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry did I break your focus?"

"No, we were done anyway." Lance assured him. "She said Coran told her there's a weakness all Empire prisons tend to be built with- it's too difficult to explain quickly right now, but we can use it to get in."

"When did this Coran tell her this?" Nyma asked absently from where she was sharpening a stone knife.

"When they had to break me out of a prison in Gil'ead." Lance shrugged. "Keith got rescued too."

"How many times do I have to say thank you for that?" Keith snapped.

"Oh, as many as you want." Lance batted his eyes with him, and Hunk snorted.

"Hush!" Shay hissed, and they all ducked down behind their convenient rock pile to avoid the guard switch. That was the signal to go. Lance and Keith nodded to each other, and went right. Hunk wanted to know how they were doing, but he didn't think that would work. He needed to keep up a distraction.

 _I hate this job_. He sighed. "Hey!" He yelled, standing up and throwing a rock. "You can't catch me!"

Two guards followed him as he ran off. He knew to keep the other two busy, Shay and Nyma were running around, causing havoc. They'd become a good team in the few minutes they'd known each other. 

Hunk muttered words in the Ancient Language under his breath, and one of the guards collapsed to the ground, asleep. The other stared in disbelief. Hunk smiled pleasantly and shrugged. "What? You two could use a break. Slytha."

The guard's eyes rolled up in his head and he fell to the ground, asleep. Hunk grinned and ran back to the others. More guards were sure to come.

-

Lance gave the bars keeping the sewage pipes barring exit from the prison one last kick, and they fell inwards. "And that's how it's done." He grinned at Keith.

"You have  _got_ to be kidding me." Keith put a hand over his mouth. " _This_ is what Blue chose to impart to you?"

"What? All the prisons have the same layout, including the pipe system. She gave us an easy in."

Keith shook his head and tied back his hair, which he didn't even do when they sparred, so Lance got the feeling he was serious. "I sure hope you know what you're doing."

 _Me too_. Lance admitted to himself, and in they went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always my tumblr is whichlightsands and I will give you sneak peaks of chapters for three compliments


	8. Saving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *looks at the wordcount* kill me pls and thank you
> 
> shout out to lanceologist on tumblr for talking me through this !

_This is disgusting._ Keith thought to himself as he and Lance crawled through the sewage drains of the prison. "Close your eyes." He called up to Lance, and muttered, "islingr" to his hand. A shaky red light formed, casting a glow on everything. 

Lance turned back and tilted his head at the ball of light now hovering in Keith's hand. "Good idea. We're about to leave the area the sun can reach from the entrance."

"And exit." Keith noted. "Because, you know, that's how we're planning to get back out. Without being seen."

"Hey, you made the light."

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Keith snapped, suddenly defensive. His light flickered slightly, obviously not liking his change in emotion. Magic tended to do that with him. He was too emotional, and his skills had always suffered because of it. Maybe that was why he excelled at fire- it changed and it burned, like him.

Lance gave a funny expression and pulled Keith out of his musing. His expression was half scowl, half smirk. "Well, if we're trying not to get seen, a bright red light might not help."

"Do you  _want_ to wander around in the dark? Because that can be arranged!" Keith yelled, and his voice echoed a little. They both froze, silent, and waited to get caught.

They didn't. Keith breathed. Lance was glaring at him. "Great job, hot shot." He hissed.

Keith snarled at him. "Are you always like this?"

"Only on weekends." He grinned.

"We don't have time for this, let's go get Rolo."

"Wow, you're really invested in those fifty crowns." Lance laughed slightly. 

_Rolo is like a big brother to me._ Nyma's voice chimed in his ear. 

"Sure, whatever."

"Come on, let's keep going." 

They walked in complete silence for a while, before Lance said. "This reminds me of the time I was with my little sister and we got lost after the winter fair so in an effort to get home on time we took advice from a merchant in a top hat to follow the pipe lines and she fell in."

"Um, what?" Keith said in response. 

Lance shrugged. "Just trying to make conversation. Do you have any siblings?"

"Yes." Keith said before he could think about it twice.  _NO! Take it back!_

Lance blinked. "Really? Huh. Didn't take you for a sibling person."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know, you're pretty closed off. You and your sibling not close?"

Keith frowned, wondering how much was too much to share. "We used to be." He settled on. "We... I made some mistakes. We both said things we shouldn't have." Keith sighed and looked at the ground, frowning. 

"Have you apologized?"

"No." Keith snapped. "Because it's his fault, anyways."  _He's always been too overprotective. I can do things on my own. I'm not a little kid anymore._

"Oh." Lacne kicked a rock, which landed with a splash that they both winced at. "How much older than you is he? Or younger."

"A few hundred years, give or take." Keith said absently. 

"What? Wait, how old are  _you_?"

Keith almost laughed at Lance's shocked expression. "I'm sixteen." He answered, smirking softly. 

"Like, sixteen hundred, or-"

"Just sixteen." Keith said, and knew this conversation was starting to go to places he didn't want it to go. This was dangerous. This was scary. Lance was learning  _personal_ information about him, that just wasn't fair or okay because Keith had tried  _so hard_ -

"Me too." Lance said brightly. His face fell. "Have you ever met someone who could change their future?"

"You got yours read?" Keith asked. "Hunk?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

_Well Keith it looks like everything you want to protect is going to come crumbling down. Some sooner than rather than later._

"Lucky guess. I could sense the magic on him, anyways." Keith waved a hand. "You don't like your fortune?"  _That makes two of us._ He sighed to himself.

Lance wrapped his arms around himself. "Not really. It all seems too... much. Too much. I mean, just a few weeks ago, I was a farmkid. And now I'm a  _Dragon Rider_ and the town story teller is an elf and I rescued one from prison and now I'm going with that elf to save the werecat who robbed me it's all just... too much. No one's really given me time to sit down and process  _this is my life now_. I can do  _magic_ and I have a  _sword_ that is  _blue_ and  _speaking_ of Blue that's my dragon's  _name_ and..." Lance rubbed his forehead. 

"It's a lot." Keith agreed, and somehow they were sitting together, leaning against the dry spot on the wall as their scuffed up boots brushed the water. "A lot of responsibility, a lot of danger, a lot of everything."

"A lot of fun." Lance suggested. "I mean, how often do you get to wade through the pipe system of Dras Leona so you can save a werecat?"

Keith snorted, and the red light in his hand flared. "Not too often."

Lance's smile was colored strangely under the red glow, but it still looked bright and happy. Even as his eyes looked a little sad, that was getting better as he looked at Keith. "Thanks, Keef. I needed this."

Keith blinked slowly, stared at him, and smiled back. "No problem, Lonce."

Lance stood up and messed with his hair. "Come on, we should really get going. Rolo won't wait for us forever."

"Yah." Keith stood up too, and followed him calmly, even as his brain started to scream to run away.

_Everything you want to protect..._

His feelings, and his secrets, and every single ounce of control he had in keeping those things safe and tucked away from other people. All ready to come crumbling down.

-

Outside the prison, Nyma, Shay, and Hunk regrouped, ready to engage in phase two whenever Lance and Keith were ready. They'd distracted the soldiers and given Keith and Lance their in, along with causing the guards to leave the prison and fan the area for the upstarts. Those Galra soldiers loved their pride more than anything.

Nyma had taken refuge in a tree, with Shay hiding behind the rock a ways away, and Hunk in the bushes. Not great hiding places until you coupled them with magic. Which Hunk had. The three could all see each other, but none of the soldiers could see them. 

"It's almost dark." Nyma hissed. "They should be back by now."

"What's the contingency plan if something happens?" Shay whispered.

"Grab Blue and Coran and go in hard and fast." Hunk said, watching the pipe system where they'd disappeared. "Grab them and get out."

"Thank you so much." Nyma said. "For helping me save Rolo."

"Oh, it's no problem." Hunk grinned even if he wasn't  _sure_ Nyma could see him. 

"Hush." Shay said as a soldier came near. Hunk was too exhausted by running around and his magic to make his spell completely foolproof- the soldiers could still run into them, and the soldiers could still  _hear_ them. Even if they couldn't smell them. Because Hunk was good at making useful spells, apparently. 

Hunk was very grateful for that addition of his when the soldier Shay had warned them of had a hound dog with him, looking like he was on the hunt. Hunk was very still.

_Keith, Lance, come on, hurry up._

-

"Do you think Rolo will be in cat form or human form?" Lance asked.

"What?" Keith hissed.

"Well, he's a werecat. Do you think he'll be in his cat form or his human one?"

"Why does it matter?" Keith asked as he pushed gently against the hatch on the ceiling. It would be easy to open, but he didn't know where it would let them out. 

"Well, it does impact our rescue mission." Lance pointed out as Keith extinguished his light, leaving them in the dark. "If he's a cat we can just, i dunno, carry him out. But if he's a human we have to actually get out of here with three people, one of which might be injured."

Keith paused, and cursed. "I didn't even  _think_ about him being injured. Idiot. Okay, you're going to have to heal him."

"Me, why me?" Lance yelped.

"Because I'm better at offensive magic." Keith said. He reached out and put a hand on Lance's shoulder, slightly amazed he didn't miss. "You'll be fine. You don't have to return limbs or something, just get him patched up enough so we can all get out of here."

"Alright." Lance said softly. He cleared his throat. "How's that exit going?"

"It's right above us. But I don't know where it'll put us."

"Well no time like the present to find out."There was a muffled clatter, and light poured into the tunnel. Lance was right below the flickering light, the panel covering the exit pushed slightly to the side. Keith gave his eyes a moment to adjust to the brightness, then tried to peak out.

They seemed to be in the middle of a hallway lit by torchlight. No guards in this sector. Keith hadn't thought about guards. If they hurried, they could cover up the panel, mark it subtly somehow, and get out how they got in. 

"Let's go." Keith said, pushing away the rest of the cover and pulling himself out of the pipe system. Once he was up, he leaned down to give Lance his hand and help him up. 

"You smell." Lance laughed.

"So do you, hush." Keith looked at the panel, then burned one of the corners with a small fire. When he slid it back into place, it looked completely natural, but distinguishable.  _Perfect._ Keith's lips quirked into a smile. "Come on, let's find Rolo."

"Where would he even  _be_." Lance muttered as they walked, weapons in hand. Lance was holding his blue blade, occasionally tossing it from hand to hand, while Keith just had his knife. "If you were a werecat, what cell would they put you into?"

"A cell more defended than a common human prisoner's, and a cell less defended than a elf prisoner's one would be. But, they don't have any elf prisoners- I think I was the only one -so go to the area with the most guards patrolling around."

"Wow, you're good at this." Lance said appreciatively. "Where would they put magic users?"

"In about the same place. Hell if I know, Lance, I'm guessing."

"Inferring." Lance corrected. "You're making an inference."

Keith snorted, unable to help himself. "Fine, I'm inferring. That doesn't mean I know the layout of this place."

"Think we can kidnap a guard to guide us around?" Lance kicked a rock, and it made the loud clatter as it hit one of the bars of a nearby cell. They both froze as the sound echoed.

"Who was that?" A deep voice demanded.

"Run." Keith and Lance said at the same time, bolting back the way they came. That turned out to be a mistake, because the owner of the deep voice was right there, staring down at them. He was wearing a captain's uniform, and he had a mustache decidedly less spectacular than Coran's. 

"Other way!" Lance yelped and grabbed Keith's wrist, pulling him away as the captain pulled out his sword to strike. Keith freed his hand from Lance's grasp and yelled out, "Jierda!" Keith kept running even as he heard the captain yell in pain, and call for the guards to go after him.

"His arm is broken!" Lance yelled to Keith, looking back. 

"I must have lost focus, I was aiming for his neck. Is it his sword arm, at least?"

"It is. Let's hope he's not ambidextrous, like me."

"Let's." Keith agreed, and they turned the corner together. "Should we split up to look for Rolo? We'd be twice as fast."

"Are you kidding? No way! One of us could get killed and we'd have no way of knowing." Lance said, and that was that. No matter how much time it wasted, they were staying together. 

They turned another corner and ran straight into a group of guards, who all had their spears ready. Lance scrambled back so fast he slipped and fell. "Oh, come on!"

Keith twirled his knife. "You wanna play?"

The first guard attacked, and Keith dodged his spear expertly. He sliced the head off the spear and took the stick from the man's hands, using it to push another soldier away from him. Keith felt something cold and sharp touch his back and he froze, his hand and knife still hovering in the air, midstrike. He looked back at the soldier with the sword on his back.

"You're coming with us, elf." He hissed.

Lance, who was still laying on the floor, spun around, sticking his leg out as he spun and made every soldier close to him trip. He stood up, sword out, and attacked the soldier threatening Keith, forcing him to take the sword away from Keith's back and defend himself. Keith scrambled away, feeling a tiny sting on his back. Not a cut, more like a prick. He'd be fine.

The soldier was completely outclassed by Lance. Keith found himself smiling as the soldier's eyes went wide and Lance held up Aeternitas to his throat. "I win." He smirked. "Where's the werecat?"

"D-down the hall, third cell on the left." A soldier on the ground stuttered. 

Lance nodded, and held up his hand, making sure they could all see his gedwëy ignasia. "Slytha." He called out, and all the soldiers fell asleep.

Lance's eyes went a little unfocused and he slumped. Keith darted forward to catch him before he fell. Lance smiled at him. "That wasn't so bad."

"We should get going." Keith said, helping him stand again. "You good?"

"I'm fine." Lance was looking at his sword happily. "I did that."

"You're welcome."

Lance blinked at him as it registered, but they couldn't chat any longer. "I hear footsteps, let's get moving. Now!"

Keith kept an ear out for any approaching guards as they walked down the narrow hall. The cells in this area were surprisingly far apart from one another, so between the first cell on the left and the second cell on the left was at least a minute long jog. They did jog, and got to the third cell on the left.

Lance tapped the bars. "Rolo? Guess who."

There wasn't a response at first, and the first thought that crossed Keith's mind was  _trap_ , but then a rasp called back, "Dragon Rider? It's you?"

"The one and only." Lance sighed. "Nyma talked me into this. You owe us fifty crowns."

"Ládrin." Lance whispered to the cell door, and it creaked open. Lance and Keith went in. Rolo was chained to the wall by his wrists, but his eyes were bright and his grin was crooked. Keith could definitely picture him as a thief.

"Are you hurt?" Lance asked as he opened the cuffs on Rolo's wrists. 

Rolo winced. "They hurt my leg in the capture. I lost the other one years ago, so this could prove... difficult."

Keith looked down and saw that Rolo did indeed have a wooden leg. He helped Lance help him up. "What now? The way back to the tunnels is crawling with guards now."

"Don't worry, I have a contingency plan. Get to the roof."

"What's on the roof?" Rolo asked.

"Trust me." Lance smiled.

"Wait, what is on the roof?" Keith asked, blinking. 

Lance's smile widened. " _Trust me_."

That didn't exactly make Keith trust him more, but deep down he did trust Lance, so he helped Rolo limp out of his cell.

"Nyma's looking for me? I told her to get out of town."

"What are you doing in Dras Leona anyways?"

"Thought we'd steal some stuff from the uptight nobles who live here and try to give it to the people who actually needed it."

"You got caught?" Keith asked.

Rolo shrugged. "Apparently."

"Which way to the roof?" Lance asked, looking around. 

"Hey, you!" A man yelled out. Soldiers. 

"Wait, you don't even know  _how_ to get to the roof?" Keith yelped as they ran away from the soldiers chasing them.

"I'm working on it!" Lance yelped back, ducking into a corner. At the end of the hall they had been running down, an arrow was quivering in the wall at about his head height. Lance gulped. "Alright, Keith, you distract the guards so I can come up with something to fix Rolo's leg."

"Got it." Keith said, jumping out of their hiding place and held off the small group of soldiers, at one point holding back three swords with just his knife. He rolled out of the way and glanced back at Lance, who gave him a thumbs up. Keith dashed his way, and with Rolo they all ran.

"This way." Lance said, leading them up a flight of stairs. Keith slammed the door behind them as they ran, trying to keep the soldiers behind them. Rolo darted forward, and yelled, "the door up here is locked and it won't budge!"

Lance kicked it in. The three ran out onto the roof, where the sunset was just starting to fall.

-

"Look!" Shay called up, pointing at the roof. Three shapes made their way onto the roof, and Hunk squinted to get a better look. "I can't tell who they are."

"That's Rolo!" Nyma yelled, jumping down from her tree. "Rolo!" 

One of the shapes turned around, and ran towards the edge of the roof, and jumped off. Nyma met him halfway, and they ran into the city together. 

"Should have known they'd leave." Shay sighed. 

Hunk disrupted the magic around them since they didn't need it anymore, and stood up. "We should get out of here."

"How are Keith and Lance going to get off the roof? They don't have a werecat's agility."

"I don't think Lance is going to have a problem with that." Hunk smiled, then turned to Shay as the guards ran towards them, spears and swords at the ready. "Let's go!"

-

"Hey!" Lance yelled as Rolo jumped off the roof. He landed neatly, even though it  _had_ to have been at  _least_ three stories high, and he ran towards the inner mess of Dras Leona along with Nyma, who jumped out of a tree and joined him. Lance kicked a rock after them. "I want my crowns!" He yelled after them.

"They can't hear you." Keith panted, his hand pressed against a stitch in his side. "He's gone."

"How'd he jump down? It's way too high!"

"He's a werecat." Keith panted. 

The door that lead to the roof Lance had closed behind them started to bang. Lance backed up. "Take my hand."

"What?" Keith said, flustered.

The door opened with a clatter, and soldiers started to spill out onto the roof. "Take my hand, and trust me." Lance held out his hand as the two hesitantly backed up.

"You've got to be kidding." Keith whispered. It was almost lot in the clamor of swords and shours.

"Trust me!" Lance shouted. 

Keith wanted to argue. God, he did. But deep down he knew- he trusted Lance. He took his hand, and Lance started to pull him along, running along the long way of the roof like it was a race track.

"What-" Keith started, and Lance's grip on his hand tightened. 

Keith saw his plan. _Oh no no no no nononono-_

Lance used the edge of the roof as a springboard and jumped. And Keith, like an idiot, helped him push off. 

They were in free fall for a few heartbeats, and Lance's hand was sweaty and warm. His hair whipped around his face, and he had a wild grin to match his wide blue eyes.

Then, below them there was a movement of blue and a roar, and they weren't falling, and Keith was sitting rather awkwardly on dragonback as the ground faded away and they went up.

"Blue! Thank you!" Lance cheered above the roar of the wind and the whoosh of her wings. "Keith, hold on. We're about to go fast."

"This isn't fast?" Keith yelped, and he had nothing to hold onto so he just wrapped his arms around Lance's waist. Lance didn't seem to mind. Blue dived down to escape a barage of arrows, and flew away from the city. 

"The prison was just close enough for me to talk to her!" Lance yelled. "So we came up with a backup plan!"

"Why didn't you tell me!" Keith laughed. 

"I thought it would be a nice surprise."

"You're terrible." Keith said, but there was nothing behind it.

"I know." Lance looked back and grinned. His face was red, probably from windburn and exertion. He looked pretty happy for someone who had just nearly died.

Keith put one hand on Blue's scales instead of the leather saddle he was sitting on. "Thank you, Blue." He said.

Blue flew a little higher in response, her tail squishing in the air.

They landed outside the city, and Keith jumped to the ground. "We made it."

"We have to walk back to the city now." Lance pointed out, gesturing to the buildings in the distance.

"Yah." Keith grinned. "Eventually."

"Eventually." Lance agreed. He sat against Blue's flank, leaning against her. "We deserve a break."

"You used a lot of magic." Keith pointed out, sitting cross legged across from him. 

"Didn't you use some too?" Lance asked. "We both need to rest."

"Alright." Keith said. "It's sundown, anyways."

"...Night." Lance said.

"Night."

_Little elf,_ Blue whispered in his mind.  _Sleep against my other side. The fire in me will keep you both from getting cold tonight._

_Thank you._ Keith said respectfully, and walked over to lay by her. Her body was warm, and she wrapped a wing around him like a blanket.

It reminded him of being young in Ellesméra, being outside away from a human city with the stars out. The thought made it harder to fall asleep, but he slept sounder once he did.

-

Lance woke up to the sun and Nyma grinning over him. Lance yelped and sat up, hitting his head against part of Blue's wing. She looked at him, confused.

"She was here and she brought bread, so I kinda assumed it was okay." Keith said, shrugging, from where he was sitting in the grass. He tossed a hunk of bread to Lance. 

He caught it and eyed it suspiciously. "You came back. You and Rolo ran off, and then you... came back?"

"Of course." Nyma said. "You helped me, so now I'm going to help you."

"Really?" Lance was interested. "Does this mean you have my fifty crowns?"

Nyma laughed nervously. "About that... I actually don't have any money."

"Figures." Lance huffed.

"But I know how to find something far more valuable."

"Then why not just tell us that instead of promising things you didn't have?" It came out a little more bitter than Lance intended. 

"Because then how was I supposed to know you wouldn't just demand the information from me and not help Rolo!" Nyma put her hands on her hips, and Lance had to admit she had a tiny tiny bit of a point.

"Then what is it?"

"You know how there are supposedly four dragon eggs left in the world? Three, now that Blue hatched." Nyma nodded at her. "And wow, isn't she beautiful in the sun-"

"Cut to the chase." Lance yawned, and ate a bite of bread.

"I know where to find the yellow egg." Nyma smirked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is witchlightsands hey you should check it out im kinda really into ninjago atm lol
> 
> but thank you for 100 kudos! ill be posting concept sketches i did in november as a thank you


	9. Traveling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: i am an organized person who has an order of which to write things  
> also me, shoving aside three projects: nah
> 
> also it hit me that the eragon world is _really freaking complex_ so I'm ignoring a ton of canon details to make it easier on myself. I'll stick to eragon canon as close as i can remember, but this isn't eragon canon compliant, so I can do what i want. Canon is more of a... friendly suggestion.
> 
> edit: allura was confirmed as a teen, and shalluratt is no longer the main shiro ship. all romantic shiro/allura moments are being removed

"T-the yellow egg?" Lance stuttered. He turned to Keith. "Is she serious?"

"I assume so." He shrugged. 

Lance turned back to Nyma, and realized his mouth was just hanging open. He closed his mouth. "How do you know?"

Nyma looked him in the eyes. "The yellow egg was saved by a man named Thace."

"So he has it?" Lance asked, vibrating.

"No. It's in its hiding place, in the Hadarac desert." Nyma said.

"The Hadarac?" Lance blinked. "Isn't that thing the reason Zarkon hasn't been able to invade the rest of the continent? The only people who live there are nomads, and they can only live there because they know where they hid their wells because, like I said, the Hadarac desert is  _huge_ and a  _desert._ " 

Nyma nodded. "Yes. But I know where it is."

"How do you know all this?" Keith asked. "Just throwing that out there."

"Thace is part of the Varden."

"The Varden! If he hid the egg, why don't they go get it? What if they already have?"

"No one has touched that egg in years, Lance." Nyma sighed. 

"It's true." Keith interjected, finally standing up. "The deal was to have one egg hatch before another was brought out. That way only one was at risk at a time. The identity of the ones who went in to grab the eggs is pretty hush hush. Everyone knew about Coran because his egg was out, but if the others' identities had been discovered, it was though they'd be tortured for information on the location of their eggs. Anonymity is best."

"Got it." Lance said. "So how do you know where the egg is, Nyma?"

"Thace is a good guy, but he lets things slip out sometimes. He gave me an inch and I asked questions until he gave me directions."

"So you're the only person besides this Thace who could take us to the egg?" Lance asked skeptically. 

Nyma nodded. 

"We should ask Coran." Lance said. 

Keith agreed. "Come on, Nyma, take us to the others and we'll show you the inn."

"Alright."

-

Coran heard a knock on the door of his room. He answered it impatiently. "It's about time you got back-" He started, then looked who was at his door. 

Yes, Hunk and Shay were there, and Keith and Lance were too. But there was also another girl, a blond with purple eyes and patchy skin, and Rolo. 

Coran stepped back. Lance smiled at him. "Long story short, we had to break Rolo out of prison, and then we kinda spent the night outside the city, and Nyma knows where the yellow egg is-"

"Wait, is  _that_ why there are wanted posters all over Dras Leona? Were you seen?" Coran asked insistently.

"Blue swooped in and saved us from falling to our deaths in front of dozens of soldiers, so yah, I'd say we were seen." Keith said with a shrug.

Coran rubbed his head, then froze. "What did you say?"

"That Blue saved our lives. Me and Lance jumped off the roof and-"

"No no, the thing Lance said!" Coran pointed at Nyma. "The yellow egg. Where is it?"

"In the Hadarac Desert. I can take you to it."

Coran bit his lip. "Alright, we're going for it?"

"What? What about the Varden?" Lance asked.

Coran thought about it. Lance _needed_ to continue his training, but Coran didn't trust the Varden and wasn't going to let Lance go there without him, and they'd need to split up for this journey. But if he remembered right, there was someone else besides the Varden who could...

"Keith, you need to take Lance to Ellesméra." 

Keith's eyes widened in what Coran could only describe as horror. "Coran,  _no_. I  _can't_."

"What? You're from Ellesméra."

"Coran I  _can't_ go back to Ellesméra." Keith said desperately.

"Why not? Were you banished?" Coran asked gently.

"Did you kill a guy?" Lance asked, bouncing on his feet.

Keith turned to look at him. "No, why would you assume that?"

Lance shrugged. "You give off that kind of vibe."

Keith turned to Coran, and his expression was more open than Coran had ever seen it, but still guarded. "Coran, why can't  _you_ take him to Ellesméra?"

"Because I'm going with Nyma to get the yellow egg."

"We're going too." Shay chimed in. "To get the yellow egg, that is."

"Well, count me out." Rolo said, stepping back. "I can't thank you enough for all your help. But I'm not chasing some egg, and I sure as hell am not going to the elf capital. So I'll be headed to the Varden. Now. I'll tell them there's a Dragon Rider." Rolo nodded, and jogged away.

"Why do I have to take him? Why can't we all go after the egg?" Keith asked.

"Because the Hadarac Desert is brutal, and taking in six people and a dragon would be suicide. We wouldn't be able to carry enough supplies for anything."

"Is the idea of going on a mission with me really  _that_ terrible?" Lance snapped at Keith.  _Oh no, here we go._ Coran thought.

"It's not you! It's me! That sounds bad, but it's the truth." Keith yelled. His hands were shooting out tiny flumes of smoke. "I can't go back there. I'm not ready."

"Is this about your brother?" Lance asked, impatient but softer.

Keith reeled back like the words had burned him. 

"You have a brother?" Coran asked, looking at Keith. "Wait. You-"

"Don't say it!" Keith yelled, covering his ears with his hands. "I'm not going to Ellesméra. That's completely final."

Keith stormed out of the room. Lance looked after him with an expression that was made of emotion so raw, it hurt. "Keith, wait!" Lance called after him, following.

Coran looked after them, and sighed. "Shay, Hunk, Nyma, come in. We have much preparation if we want to brave the Hadarac, and we're leaving the city by sundown."

-

"Keith?" Lance called out, looking around the back of the inn. Keith was leaning against the wall, staring at his knife.

Lance sat down across from him, silent. The silence wasn't awkward, but it wasn't comfortable either. It was there, but Lance didn't know what tension was between it. 

Keith broke the silence. "If you're going to try to convince me to take you to the elf city, forget it."

"I just want to understand." Lance said. "You said you and your brother said things. Things that were better left unsaid?"

Keith sighed. "Look, I'm not talking about this. I... I'm not ready."

"Want to try to forgive him?"

Keith teared up. "Yes. Yes, God, I miss him so much. But I  _can't_ because the second I see him all that bitterness is going to rise up again and we'll fight again."

"You never know if you don't try."

"Guess you're right."

"Will you try?"

"I guess."

Lance grinned. "Great! We're going to Ellesméra!"

Keith looked up, startled. "Wait wha- oh you sneaky son of a bitch."

"Do you really mind? Like, we don't have to-"

"No, it's fine." Keith sighed, standing up. "If anything, at least it'll let him know I'm not dead."

"That's the spirit!"

-

Outside the city, away from prying eyes, the groups met up to split up. Lance looked at the sky, zoning out most of what Coran was saying, seeing as it was all about the Hadarac.

 _We're going to see the elves, Blue._ Lance thought up to her where she was circling them lazily.

_Do Keith and Coran not count?_

_No. We're going to see the elf city and their culture and I'm going to get trained to become a Dragon Rider!_ Lance paused.  _It's just me and Keith, and you've grown some. Do you think you could fly us there?_

 _Not the entire way all at once._ She said.  _We'd reasonably take breaks anyways, but I will need breaks. Otherwise, yes. I can fly you there. Are you prepared to have him holding onto you the entire time?_

Lance turned red and coughed awkwardly, choking on his spit. Keith looked at him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Lance coughed, sending a pointed glare to Blue. "We ready to head off?"

"I've sent a dove with a message to the Queen." Coran said to Keith. "She'll be expecting you within a week."

"We can make it in half." Keith said with a cocky grin. Blue spiraled down and landed in the grass, shaking her wings gently and standing up straight.  _Let us go._ She said to the group. 

Hunk threw his bag over his shoulder. "Alright, Lance. See you soon."

"Bring back that egg." Lance grinned and shoved him playfully. Hunk had quickly become his best friend in the few days he'd known him- he was easy to talk to and good in a pinch. 

Keith was already sitting on Blue's back, and held out his hand to help Lance up. "I'm flying." He grinned, and Lance's heart skipped a beat. He convinced himself it was nerves. "Is that a good idea?"

 _I already agreed. Besides, it's just sitting in the front. It's not like he has to actually know what he's doing-_ I  _do all the work._

Lance smiled at that and hopped on. He hesitated, then decided he wasn't going to be a baby about holding onto someone to keep from falling off of a giant winged lizard, and he wrapped his arms around Keith's waist. 

Keith patted Blue's shoulder. "Come on, girl. Let's do this."

Blue jumped, and went soaring into the air. Apparently Lance's saddle hadn't been designed for two people, and he had to cling to Keith a lot more than he anticipated to keep from falling. Blue laughed in his head and Lance turned red, and would have flipped her off if he didn't need both of his arms to stay up.

"Where is Ellesméra?" Lance asked, leaning forward to talk in Keith's ear over the sound of rushing air and the wind. 

"The elven cities are all in the forest of Du Weldenvarden." Keith yelled back. "But we can't fly straight there. The forest has protective spells- wards -guarding it. We're flying to the elven city of Osilon. We'll land on the edge of the forest, walk a bit, then get horses to go to Ellesméra."

"Got it." Lance said, and they fell into silence.

Lance didn't really like silence. 

"What's so important about your knife?" Lance asked after a few minutes.

Keith sat up straighter, and Lance could feel his muscles tense. "Why do you care?"

"Just curious. You asked about it while you were literally poisoned and dying and didn't have much time to talk to me, and I've never seen you without it."

Keith sighed. "It was my father's, and it was given to me by my brother. Why do you  _think_ it's important to me?"

"That same brother you're so mad at?"

"Yah." Keith admitted. 

"But you keep the knife." Lance said, and realized this was getting close to  _Keith doesn't like this conversation_ territory. "If it was your dad's, why didn't he give it to you?"  _Wrong move, Lance. Quick, ask about the weather!_

"He's been gone for most of my life. I don't really remember him much. But I keep the knife." Keith sighed. "What about you?"

"What?"

"What's your relationship with your dad like?"

"He's around." Lance said, because he couldn't think of anything else at first. Then he paused and thought about it. "His hands are warm. They're calloused. When I was little I thought they were made of sandpaper. I'm still not entirely sure I was wrong. But he has a really bright, great smile. It's so soft..." Lance trailed off thinking about it.

"Didn't you mention a little sister before?"

"Yah, I have two. Plus a younger brother, two older brothers, and a big sister. I'm the middle child." Lance said. "There's Bella, the younger sister I told you about, and her twin Lucy. Bel and Lu are twelve. Oliver is eight. Eli is closest to my age, but he's still nineteen. Then there's Rachel, who's twenty two, and the oldest is Rin, he's twenty four."

"That's a lot of siblings. What about your mom?"

"My mom is the nicest person in the entire world." Lance said passionately. "I  _will_ fight you on that. She's always been there to pick me up when I fall and make me comfort food." Lance sighed. "I miss them."

"I miss my brother." Keith blurted, and his voice cracked. "But I can't stand to even think about seeing him." 

Lance held on tighter and tried to make it feel like a hug. "I'll help you out." Lance said without thinking.

Keith turned to looked at him, and smiled, and as his hair blew in the wind and his eyes were shining but smiling too, and God his  _smile._

Lance's brain blanked, and his entire train of thought turned into  _oh._

Then it turned into  _oh crap._

-

Shiro loved the houses in Ellesméra. They were up in the trees, just like "regular" houses, just in the trees, sung from the wood with magic. He leaned over the railing of his house and breathed, letting the sunlight filter through the leaves and hit his face. It may have been the most beautiful thing he'd seen today.

"Shiro." He turned around to see Allura. She blinked. "Did I interrupt something?"

"No, you're always welcome." Shiro smiled and walked back inside. "What brings you here?"

Allura handed him a note. "This came in on a dove. Coran always had a flair for theatrics."

Shiro opened the note, and scanned it. "I can't read his handwriting." He admitted.

"Then aren't you lucky I'm here." Allura flipped her hair and smirked. "It says that he, a magician, a human, and a werecat are headed to get the lost yellow egg. The werecat has information on it's location."

"What about the Dragon Rider? Wasn't Coran charged with looking over them if-"

"I was getting to that." Allura's eyes gleamed. "He's coming here, to Ellesméra."

"How does he know how to get here?"

"Keith is his guide." Allura said. 

"Keith? My Keith?" Shiro blinked. "My brother Keith?"

"The one and only. He'll be in the city within the week."

Shiro couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face. "He's coming home. I need to apologize to him, I need to-"

"Hey, it's alright. Relax. It'll work out."

Shiro was still smiling.

-

Coran had declared traveling to the Hadarac would take them several days, which Hunk wasn't happy with. He wanted to get this over with. Yes, the yellow egg was important. But he wasn't going to be spending  _several weeks_ in the desert to find it. Coran had promised that they wouldn't search more than two weeks, including travel time there, and Nyma had countered that she wouldn't let it take that long. 

The egg was supposedly hidden in a small mountain that was apparently just a few days' travel inside the desert. The easiest way to get there was to go through the human town of Furnost, and Hunk was relieved that they could veer to the south to get there, completely avoiding the capital of Uru'baen, along with most of Zarkon's forces. It also meant they could restock their supplies before heading to the desert. 

"If we're going to get the yellow egg," Shay asked Coran, who shook his head like he'd been thinking, "and the blue egg hatched for Lance, what happened to the other two rumored eggs?"

"The red one is still a possession of Zarkon's." Coran sighed. "And the green egg would be in similar hiding to the yellow egg."

"And you don't know who rescued and hid the green egg?" Hunk asked. "What if they're dead by now? What if no one  _ever_ finds the green egg?"

"Positive thinking, Hunk." Coran smiled. "Now come! Furnost is waiting for us!"

Nyma rubbed her forehead, and got on her horse. "After this, I'm going into deep hiding. Maybe in Arus. The important thing is I'm done with adventure."

"Well, if you go into hiding, don't completely leave us, alright?" Hunk blurted, and by  _us_ he was pretty sure he meant him and Shay, and not Coran. She could leave Coran for all he cared.

Nyma smiled. "Alright, promise."

"Come on!" Coran said. He was at the front of the group, well ahead of the other three. "That egg won't wait forever, and Dras Leona considers us criminals! Let's get a move on!"

"Let's go."

-

Blue collapsed on the ground once Keith and Lance were out of the way. In just one day, they'd made it to the bend of the Woadark River, where it curved inwards to the Spine mountain range, and the current switched at Woadark Lake. And by one day, Lance had meant flying all day, then  _all night_ with no breaks. Blue had insisted. Since the lake wasn't on their travel plan, so they just sat on the outside of the Spine, Blue utterly exhausted and surely regretting her decision.

"I told you, you were pushing yourself too hard." Lance muttered, stretching his sore muscles. 

 _I'm fine._ Blue promised.  _I just need to sleep._

"We are  _not_ doing that again." Lance told her sternly. 

Blue looked at the sky, where the sun was starting to come up.  _Wake me up at midday._ She said.  _I don't want to loose a day of travel._

 _Oh, come on! We have a_ week  _to get there! You can rest._

_But it's also awkward to have to travel at night and sleep during the day. I promise I'll sleep all night and we'll take it easy tomorrow. I just want to get a little farther while there's daylight. So wake me up at midday._

_Fine._ Lance sighed, and broke away from their mental link to let her sleep. Giant puffs of smoke came out of her nose when she snored. 

"She going to be okay?" Keith asked, walking up.

"Yah, she's fine. We'll wake her up at midday. Take a catnap if you need to."

"No, come on, this is the perfect time to train."

"To what?" Lance blinked and Keith tossed him Aeternitas. "Oh, come  _on._ Aren't you at least a little tired?"

"Nope. Slept in the saddle, now come on."

Lance sighed, and attacked. Keith blocked him easily, but then Lance did what he'd never been able to before- when Keith went to strike him, Lance blocked him  _easily_ , and didn't loose his footing. And so he attacked again and Keith flashed him a wild grin that only slightly broke Lance's focus, and the mock duel lasted longer than a few seconds. 

Lance was still woefully outclassed, as shown when Keith twisted his blade on the hilt of Lance's sword and disarmed him, but he didn't feel like he'd lost completely, even though he had. "That was cool! I did that!" 

Keith wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Yah, you did. Remember how good you were against the human soldiers? You're just not putting it in perspective for yourself- i'm better than them. I'm a better swordsman than them. So when you do decent against me, you outclass them entirely."

"But I'm not done until I beat you." Lance declared.

Keith's eyes were soft, and Lance would have bet anything he was remembering something. "I wouldn't dream of it. Now come on, lighter on your feet."

Lance took up his position and grinned slightly. 

They didn't train all the way up to midday, but when midday arrived they were getting one last sparing session in. Lance lost. He always lost to Keith. 

He smiled bitterly, and went over to Blue. "Up and at 'em, ya lazy lizard."

Blue blinked open one eye.  _I change my mind, I don't want to be woken up at midday anymore._

 _Come on, just a little further, then you can sleep all night._ When she didn't respond, Lance pointed out that she was the one worried about messing up their sleep schedules.

Blue huffed and sat up and stretched. She yawned right in Lance's face.  _Get on._

"The next town we should head to is Daret." Keith said, hopping on behind Lance. His breath was warm as he continued speaking. "Remember that map Coran showed us?"

"No?" Lance said. 

"Well, I do. Blue, head straight north until you see a river. Then we'll need to land so Blue can head around and we can grab a few supplies. It should only take the rest of today and tomorrow."

"With tonight as a rest in between." Lance said pointedly. Blue flapped her wings with a huff, and she jumped unexpectedly, causing Keith to yelp in Lance's ear and hold his waist in a death grip. "Breathing." Lance managed to cough out.

"Sorry." Keith said, loosening his grip a little bit. "I wonder if the others are having this easy of a time."

-

They were making better time than Hunk had thought they would. By the end of their first day, Coran, Hunk, Shay, and Nyma were just a few hour's travel away from Furnost. The horses were exhausted, so they rested longer into the morning than the other days. So with the dawn of the second day, they walked into Furnost. 

Nyma was hesitant about going in at first. "If I stay too long, they'll see my teeth are too sharp and my eyes are too bright, and they'll know I'm a werecat. That's how they got Rolo." Shay managed to convince her it was just a short trip.

A short trip it was. An hour or two later, by midday, their supply bags were full, and they were on the edge of the Hadarac Desert. Nyma pointed northeast. "There. Now we head up. It's practically parallel to Dras Leona, but Uru'baen is in the way."

"Lead the way." Hunk said.

Nyma led the way into the desert, and within an hour all Hunk could see was sand sand sand. Maybe a few bumps in the distance, but they were very distant bumps, and in the opposite direction. Hunk knew they were the Beors, and he was also knew they were much farther away than they appeared. 

"Do you hear that?" Shay whispered. 

In Furnost, they'd heard stories about strange beasts and noises in the desert. Hunk had marked it down to imagination and town fairytales.

"Like a hiss." Nyma agreed.

"Keep your guard up." Coran said, and Hunk could see his hands in a cycle of clenching and unclenching like he was preparing to fight. 

A giant lizard erupted from the sand, screeching. The four travelers screeched too, and stumbled backwards. "What the ever loving hell is  _that_?" Nyma screamed.

"It's a monster!" Hunk yelled back.

"It's dragon magic! It has to be! Only dragon magic can do the impossible." Coran yelled, "Brisingr!" He sent a blast of fire right in the lizard's face.

"I think you just made it mad." Shay said worriedly. 

"How can it be dragon magic? Blue didn't make it!"

"Haggar." Coran said it like a curse. "It has to be! She turned the normal creatures into beasts!" 

"And if Furnost's stories are anything to believe, there are  _multiple_." Hunk pointed. "Is the egg worth it?"

"Yes!" Coran yelled back. "To get to the egg, we have to defeat this beast!"

It started to attack Nyma, but Hunk cast a magic spell to temporarily hold it in place. The spell drained half of his energy. 

"Oh hell!" Hunk yelled, dodging as the lizard swiped at him. Shay grabbed a stick off of the desert ground and attacked the thing. Coran was fighting back with magic. _This was a mistake!_ Hunk thought to himself, and braced himself for the lizard's next strike.

"Hunk! A sword! Do you have a sword?" Coran called out.

"In my bag!" Hunk looked. The horses that had his bag were frozen in fear behind the lizard monster. 

"I got you!" Nyma called, darting under the lizard's legs to slide to the horses. Shay and Hunk continued to distract the monster, while Coran flung fire at it form a distance. Hunk knew the elf couldn't keep it up much longer. 

Nyma held up Hunk's sword, a thin strip of sharp steel, put it in the sheath, and tossed it to Shay, who caught it by the handle and threw it to Hunk. Hunk unsheathed the sword and brandished it at the lizard. "Fight me, you ugly reptile!" He called out.

The lizard blinked at him, and snapped at him with its burned teeth. Hunk managed to stick it in the neck, and it squealed in pain as it died. He stepped back, bloody sword in hand. "Nyma, how far to the egg?" 

"Just a day or two. Then travel back  _out_ of the desert."

Shay looked at the sky, where the sun was quickly setting. "Let's make camp for the night and take turns looking out for those monsters. I'll take first watch."

-

Lance watched the sun set while Keith cleaned off his knife. Blue was taking a well deserved rest. Keith had promised that with the time they were making, at an easy pace they could make it to the edge of the forest by this time tomorrow. 

Lance tossed a rock at Keith. "Hey." He said. Keith ignored him.

Lance muttered the incantation to make the rock float, and controlled it so it repeatedly nudged Keith in the shoulder. "You should get to sleep."

"You say as you bug me with your rock." Keith said, not looking up. "We're too close to Daret for all of us to rest comfortably. I'll take first watch."

"You sure?"

"I promise I'll wake you up when I get tired." Keith said, and Lance let himself fall to sleep.

In the morning, they didn't talk much. They skirted towns (if Lance squinted he could see the remains of Yazuac. He shuddered and ignored it) and true to Keith's words, they made it to the edge of Du Weldenvarden before nightfall, maybe even with some time to spare. Lance looked at the dense trees. "Huh. This is it."

"Come on." Keith seemed to like it outside. When Lance commented on it, he just said, "It's quiet out here."

The forest was thick, and the pine trees grew wider the farther in they went. At some point, Lance couldn't even wrap his arms around one. He laughed and pointed it out to Keith. "They get bigger." Was his reply.

The path they were following was wide enough for Blue, but just barely.  _Once we get to Osilon, we'll be able to fly as much as we want._ Lance promised her.

 _The forest is alive._ Was Blue's reply, and Lance was confused.

"Once we get home, I'm going to need you to not make a complete fool of yourself. I promise to show you around, but you can't be completely in awe of every stump. It's not a magic stump. It's just a stump."

"You called it home." Lance pointed out with a grin. "Instead of Ellesméra, you said  _home_."

"Did I?" Keith seemed distracted and on edge. Lance didn't push it.

"What you need to remember above all else is that elves are creatures of magic." Keith continued on. "Magic is thick in Du Weldenvarden, and it's everywhere in the city. It's in the air and the water and the soil. We sing houses and tools from the trees, and the city is full of art because when you can use magic for anything, what else is there but to make art?"

"That sounds amazing." Lance whispered.

" _You_ will not be making art. You will be training." Keith reminded him. "But maybe I can catch you in your freetime and make a fairth." He added.

"What's a fairth?"

"Your teacher will explain."

"Can you tell me more about this mysterious teacher?" Lance asked excitedly.

"I'm not allowed to without the queen's permission. Anything I have to tell you about him would be boring personal information, not even things like his name. Just, I don't know, he has ten toes."

"Wow. I'm in awe. My teacher has all ten toes intact." Lance said dryly. 

Keith rolled his eyes. "Come on, we should be able to get to Osilon by-"

His sentence was interrupted by laughter, and Keith sighed. "We're here."

All from around the trees, three elves ran out and linked hands, dancing in a circle around Keith and laughing with great big smiles on their faces. Lance laughed too. "Wow, Keith, why didn't you tell me elves could smile?"

"You've seen me smile!" Keith snapped.

"Yah, but they're usually bitter and sarcastic, or small, not like..." Lance trailed off, suddenly embarrassed.  _Not like you're so full of joy just from seeing someone that you could break out into song and you don't laugh like you're really happy._ Quickly, Lance just said, "You don't laugh like them."

One of the elves stepped forward. He had a full head of white hair. "Argetlam." He said solemnly. "My name is Ulaz."

"Argetlam?" Lance tilted his head. Keith hit his head with his hand. "Silver hand. It's a way to say Dragon Rider."

Lance smiled a lot at that. "Um, we're going to Ellesméra. Keith said we would need horses."

"Then you've come to the right place." Ulaz smiled. He clapped Keith on the shoulder. "It's good to have you back."

"You know him?" Lance muttered to Keith as they walked to the city with Ulaz and his company of elves.

"He knows me. Everyone knows me." Keith sighed, and Lance was starting to understand why he didn't really smile.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is witchlightsands and if you say one word about tale to me i will talk my head off about it p l e a s e


	10. Fighting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorter than i wanted it to be, but action packed and an important set up chapter!
> 
> edit: allura was confirmed as a team, shalluratt is no longer the main shiro ship, all romantic shiro/allura moments are being removed. from now on, the main shiro ship is shiro/matt.

The monsters howled in the distance all night, and Shay wondered if the others had slept as badly as her. If the shadows under Nyma's eyes and Hunk's yawns were anything to go by, she would guess yes.

"We need to get there before nightfall." Coran said brightly. "The monsters are more active at night. Nyma, is the egg hidden in a defensible position?"

"It's in a mountain cave in the middle of the desert, what do you think?" She yawned. "Come on, losers."

"What do we do once we find the egg?" Shay asked.

"If it doesn't hatch, we take it to the Varden." Coran said. 

Hunk blinked. "If it doesn't hatch? You think one of  _us_ could be it's Rider?"

"Who knows?" Coran smiled at him. "If one of you are a Dragon Rider, we'll head up to Ellesméra, meet up with Lance and Keith, and you'll begin your training."

"Okay. Seems fair." 

"It won't be me." Nyma said simply. "Not only do I not want to, but I'm a werecat. The magic that allows eggs to hatch for their chosen riders doesn't include werecats."

"So me or Shay?" Hunk asked. "Out of everyone on the entire continent? Seems unlikely."

"No, unlikely is Keith sending an egg to the middle of the Spine at the precise moment for Lance to find it and have it hatch." Coran corrected. "This is simply chance."

"Ah, right. My mistake."

"Now let's go. I don't like the idea of staying here any longer than we have to."

-

By midday, Lance was standing outside the boundaries of Ellesméra. "Keith." He whispered. "Keith, this is amazing."

Keith was busily being a grouch, leaning against a tree. Ulaz's group of elves had already gone back to Osilon, leaving them to enter Ellesméra at their own pace. "Remember, there are wards that prevent anything from entering or leaving the city through magical means. Flying in on Blue doesn't count, but it would attract more attention than we want."

_Blue! Blue you see this right! What's with the trees?_

Blue laughed at him gently.  _Ask Keith once you get close enough to see them properly._

"Can we go now?" Lance was jumping up and down, his hands flapping uncontrollably. 

Keith sighed. "If I delay any longer, you'll go without me and break something."

Lance stepped inside the city and felt the magic wash over him. He smiled, and turned to Blue.  _This is so awesome._

Blue hummed her agreement, and walked beside him. The main streets were wide enough for her to walk through comfortably, which they both appreciated. Lance was in complete awe of the city, looking around with wide eyes, wanting to see everything, smell everything, touch everything.

Keith was tense, arms crossed and scowling. Lance refused to let Keith's bad mood get him down. "Where to first?"

"It's proper to first see the Queen." Keith said stiffly. Lance beamed. "The Queen?"

"Yes."

"Okay, okay, where's the castle?" Lance looked around. Keith sighed and pointed. "Is there anything to see on the way there?"

"What?"

"Come on, please, you can't take me to a place like this and only want me to walk to the castle in a straight line? Just a small detour?"

Keith sighed. "If you see something you want to check out on the way, we'll stop. But  _just_ _once_."

Lance grinned. "Let's go!"

He ran down the street, running into a few elves along the way. Literally running into. He yelled a sorry and kept going.

Blue attracted a lot of attention. A gaggle of elves followed her for a while, occasionally complimenting her or reciting poetry about her. Lance smirked.  _You're popular._

 _They haven't seen a dragon in a while. Lance, we are hope._ Blue noted. Lance nodded solemnly at that. 

Keith had said they only got one detour, so Lance wanted to check out something really cool, but if he didn't see it soon, his chance would be wasted. He saw a small building a bit away from the road, and wondered what it was (all the elves' houses were in the trees- the  _trees!!_ ) until a guy with a red hot sword walked out and shoved the blade into a bucket of water. 

Lance grabbed Keith's hand and pointed. "There. I want to go there."

Keith tensed, his eyes dilated, and on the edge of his consciousness, Lance could feel Keith's mental shield failing and betraying his nervousness, but that all lasted a second before he smoothed it over. "I promised, didn't I?" He sighed. "Let's be quick, we're almost to the castle."

Lance ran up to the guy with the sword and smiled. "Um, hi. Hope I'm not being rude." 

The guy looked at him, and for a second Lance felt small and awkward and thought he'd made a mistake.

Then he grinned and his eyes lit up. "Hey! Who are you?"

By way of answering, Lance raised his palm. The guy dropped his sword and his jaw. "You're the new Dragon Rider?" He whispered.

"I'm Lance."

"That's- wow. Alright, hello. I'm Matt!"

"Keith, come meet Matt!" Lance called him over. Keith had been staying out in the street by Blue. He looked away.

"Keith? Keith!" Matt waved him over. "Keith, get over here!"

Lance could see Keith sigh and walk over. "Matt. Hello."

"You know him?" Lance blinked.

Matt ignored Lance and talked to Keith, tripping over his words. "We all thought you were dead, Shiro was destroyed, and now you're here and wow, Keith, we never thought we'd see you again, Shiro-"

"Don't talk to me about Shiro." Keith snapped.

Matt paused. "You're still mad at him?"

"Shiro? Is... is he your brother?" Lance asked.

Keith didn't respond at all, looking Matt dead in the eyes, unblinking. "Don't tell him anything."

"It's your tale to tell." Matt sighed. He picked his sword off the ground. "Man, I have to start over. Pidge! Pidge, come on out!"

A tiny head poked out from the house that Lance now realized was a smithery. Matt was a blacksmith. The new arrival looked like Matt, with a slightly different haircut and a slightly different glint in the eyes.

"Lance, this is my little..." Matt looked at the new arrival like he was waiting for something. "Sister." She said.

"Sister!" Matt grinned, turning back to Lance. "This is my little sister, Pidge. She's my apprentice."

"It's nice to meet you." Pidge said politely. She turned to Keith. "I missed you."

"Missed you too, stardust." Keith said, and he actually sounded  _nice_. Lance gaped at him. 

"Have you seen Allura yet?" Matt asked.

"On the way." Keith sighed. 

"So... to the castle?" Lance asked.

"We've wasted enough time here." Keith snarled and stalked away. 

"Tell Shiro I said hey!" Matt called after him.

"Tell him yourself!" Keith yelled, and Lance hurried to follow him.

 _This is a little out of character for him._ Lance thought to Blue.  _Should we try to comfort him? He must be really upset about his brother still._

_Let us see where this goes._

_Great advice, I'm gonna ignore it._

_Lance please._

"Wanna go to the castle faster?" Lance asked, hoping maybe a job would make Keith more reasonable. 

It didn't. "Why do you want to see literally everyone I'm trying to avoid?" Keith snapped, his hands sparking. Lance took a step back. "Sorry."

Keith's eyes softened. "Wait, Lance, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken my frustration out on you. I'm just... scared."

"Scared?" Lance scoffed, and at Keith's frown he realized it had sounded like an insult. "No, I just mean... you don't get scared."

"Yes, I do." He said. "Come on, the Queen is waiting."

-

By midday Hunk could see the mountain Nyma had described. He was pretty sure it was  _the mountain_ , because it was a desert and it was pretty flat apart from the mountain. 

His suspicion was proven correct when Nyma pointed. "That's it. The egg is in a chest in a cave near the top. We'll have to climb."

"How far away is the mountain?" Shay asked. 

"It's a small bump in the landscape. It's about ten minutes away now."

"Do you hear that?" Coran whispered. Hunk froze, and his hand went to his sword. "It sounds like another monster."

"If we run can we turn that ten minutes into five?" Shay asked.

"Let's find out." Nyma nudged her horse into motion, and was off like a shot. The others followed her. 

Just a few feet away from the mountain, the monster burst up from the ground. It looked like the first lizard monster, and immediately hit at Coran. Coran fell off his horse with an _umph_. "Hunk! Go get the egg!" Shay yelled. "We'll hold it off!"

Hunk scrambled off his horse. "But I don't know how to climb a mountain!"

"Figure it out!" Nyma yelled, charging at the beast. Hunk could tell this one was stronger than the last beast. 

He started to make his way up the mountain. The cave was easy to see, and there were a lot of handholds, but despite Nyma's assurances it wasn't a big mountain, it wasn't a _small_ one either. Hunk didn't look down, both to make sure he didn't fall, and so he wouldn't worry about his friends.

He crawled into the cave, and breathed, then coughed. "Sandy." He muttered to himself. "Now, where is that chest?"

He searched around, ignoring the sounds of battle beneath him. The chest was covered in dust and straw. He grinned and opened it. The egg was safely nestled in a bed of hay. He reached a hand in to touch it.

Then it started to shake.

"Oh, no, not now." Hunk whispered. "Why me?" He shut the chest, then realized if the dragon was hatching it needed air. "Coran!" He screamed down. "We have a problem!"

"Hunk, come down with that egg so we can get out of this hell desert!" Nyma's voice shrieked.

"I can't! It's hatching!"

"Oh, you're joking." Nyma groaned. 

Hunk looked into the chest. There was a definite crack in it. "Stay in there, little buddy." He whispered, taking the egg out and putting it into his pack. "Coran! How long do dragon eggs take to hatch!"

"Anywhere from five minutes to half an hour!"

 _Well, we better kill that lizard quick._ "I'm coming down!" Hunk yelled, and started to go down the cliff.

Hunk got to the ground without hurting himself or his pouch or the egg inside his pouch. He grabbed his sword and charged at the lizard monster. 

"How'd we kill the last one?" Hunk yelled.

"I don't remember, but this thing's got some serious armor!" Shay yelled back. "Coran found a weak spot, though!"

"You did?"

"Behind it's neck!" Coran said and dodged its tail as it turned to Hunk.

"Joy." Hunk sighed. He looked around. "Where's Nyma?"

A small yellow and brown cat ran out from behind a bundle of rocks by the mountain's base, and leaped at the lizard, hissing.  _She's a werecat! Of course!_ Hunk grinned. "We have to let her get a shot!"

Shay poked at the lizard monster when it started to try to shake Nyma off. She was halfway up its back. 

Coran distracted it by throwing rocks. Nyma was at its shoulder blades.

Hunk kept it in one place using magic, even as he felt his strength weakening. "Hurry, I can't keep this up!" He yelled to Nyma.

She slashed her claws, and the lizard yowled, and Hunk let the magic go, and the monster fell forward. Nyma landed gracefully.  _I did it._ She said proudly in Hunk's head.

"Yah you did." Hunk grinned. 

"The egg?" Coran asked.

Hunk looked into his pack, and took out the egg, placing it on the sand. It turned out, he was just in time to see a little beak break through the shell. Hunk watched in awe as the creature freed itself. Everyone else stepped back and let Hunk reach out his hand to the dragon, which was no bigger than Nyma was in her cat form.

It-  _he_ -touched Hunk's palm with his snout, and it was like a thousand bolts of cold lightning.

"Hey, buddy." Hunk smiled.

"We need to leave." Shay said. "Can you carry him out?"

Hunk sent the dragon an image of carrying him, and the dragon seemed to assent. "I think so. But he wants food."

"There might be something in my pack." Coran said, smiling. "Congratulations, Hunk. You're a Dragon Rider."

-

Lance walked into the castle with the same awe he'd approached the entire city with. Keith lead him to the throne room, where a dark skinned lady with long white hair in a regal dress was sitting on a throne. Keith bowed immediately. "Dröttning Allura." He mumbled. Lance hastily bowed.

The Queen stood up. "Keith, there's no need to address me so formally." She said, and Lance saw she was smiling softly.

"I've brought a Dragon Rider." Keith said, ignoring her as effectively as he had Matt. "This is Lance, and his dragon, Blue."

"Blue?" Allura muttered, then regained her composure. "Rise, Dragon Rider. It is an honor to meet you."

"It's an honor to meet you too, my lady." Lance said smoothly.

"And... Blue, it is an honor to meet you as well." Allura smiled.

 _It is nice to be here. Lance is very happy._ Blue said, projecting her thoughts directly to her. 

"Just take him to his teacher." Keith muttered darkly, and started to leave.

"You're coming with us." Allura called after him, and when Keith didn't stop, she said, "That's an order from your Queen."

Keith froze, then sighed. "This way."

"Lance, Blue." Allura said. "You can never tell anyone about what you're about to see, unless you have permission from me, Matt, or Keith. No one else can grant you that authority." 

"Alright." Lance said uneasily. "Why?"

"You'll see. Blue, I need your agreement as well."

_I agree to your terms, Allura._

"Then this way."

-

Lance wondered what was happening. Allura had lead them to the edge of a cliff in the forest surrounding Ellesméra, then apologized for leaving, but she had things to do.

"Um, what's supposed to be happening?" Lance asked Keith, who was on edge himself.

"Just wait for it."

 _Thud_. 

"What was that?" Lance whispered, suddenly frightened.

_Thud._

_Thud._

_Blue?_ Lance thought.

_I'm here, little human._

_Thud._

A shadow fell across the sky, and Lance gasped, pointing. "That's a dragon." Lance whispered, and he felt tears in his eyes. "I... I'm not the only one?"

A pitch black dragon was flying up slowly. The dragon had to be at  _least_ three times as big as Blue, if not more. And on the dragon's back... was a Rider. Lance put a hand over his mouth in an effort to hide his smile. 

"Drama queen." Keith muttered, crossing his arms as the dragon landed. "You know-" Lance started, but the dragon landed, and Lance noticed they were missing their front right limb. 

 _Blue._ He whispered through their mind link.

 _We are not the only ones?_ Blue asked.

The rider hopped off of his dragon and took off his helmet. He had a scar across his nose, and kind eyes. His haircut was strange, with a white flop of hair falling into his face. His ears were pointed- he was an elf.

He nodded respectfully to Blue, who couldn't stop looking at the other dragon long enough to pay him any mind. The rider laughed and turned to Lance. He held out a hand, which was silver, and when Lance shook his hand it was cold, like metal. 

"My name is Takashi Shirogane." He said. "But you can call me Shiro, like everyone else does."

"Shiro?" Lance blinked. "I mean, my name isn't Shiro, it's Lance. What happened to your arm?" He blurted, then wanted to hit himself in the face.

Shiro laughed, not unkindly. "I'll give you answers, but first..." He turned to Keith. "Keith." He said, and Lance could see the resemblance.

"Don't." Keith snapped. "Don't pretend we're fine, like nothing happened."

"It's in the past. Can we forget it?" Shiro asked, offering his hand. 

Keith crossed his arms. "No."

Shiro sighed. "Keith, please-"

"No, listen to me. You act like you want me to never grow up."

"I'm just trying to keep you safe."

"I don't need your protection any more, Shiro!"

"Kiddo-"

" _Don't_." Keith hissed. "You need to trust me to make decisions on my own."

"You're sixteen." Shiro huffed. "I trust you, but-"

"But?"

"You don't know everything." Shiro's voice was getting harsher with every word.

"No, but I'm not  _helpless_."

"You wanted to go across the entire continent, Keith! That was a death sentence!"

"No, it  _wasn't_ , you were being paranoid!" 

"I thought you  _died_ , Keith!" Shiro yelled. 

"Well, I'm not!"

"Stop being an ass, and just listen, and see I was right-"

"Everything is about you being right!"

"I was!"

"You're so full of yourself!"

"You're so stubborn!"

"Know-it-all!"

"Impulsive!"

Lance looked on as they argued. Keith's hands were sparking, and Lance was starting to get worried.

After trading a few more insults, Keith yelled out, "Brisingr!" and threw a fireball at a tree. "Screw you, Shiro."

He stormed off, and Shiro groaned. "Why does this always happen?" 

"Shiro?" Lance asked.

Shiro looked at him with a smile. "Don't worry. Right now, teaching you is the priority. I hate having to throw short cuts into your training, but this isn't about you knowing all your history, it's about stopping Zarkon."

Lance nodded. "But is Keith going to be okay?"

"He burned more the last time we fought." Shiro smiled, but Lance could tell it was forced. "He's my brother, and I love him, but he's so  _hard headed_."

Lance nodded again. "Alright."

"Lance, this is Caelum." Shiro gestured to his dragon. "They/them, please. If they're not talkative, it's not your fault. And your dragon is?"

"Blue. Her name is Blue." Lance said.

"A good name. Now, I need to know your extent of knowledge about magic and the Ancient Language."

"Coran taught me what he could." Lance said.

"Speaking of Coran, he sent us a dove message. Do you know if he's found the yellow egg yet?"

"No, sorry."

"It's not your fault." Shiro said. "Now, let's begin."

-

At nightfall, Lance sat in his treehouse ( _awesome_ ) that Shiro had said he could stay in. Blue was sleeping on a platform just a bit aways from his bedroom, but Lance himself couldn't sleep. He got out of bed and went to a bowl on the table. It was filled with various fruits, so he emptied it, and went to his bag, pouring water from his canteen into the bowl. "Draumr kópa." He muttered, letting magic into the scrying.

"Hunk." He said, wanting to see how he was. The water shifted, showing Hunk. He was with Nyma, Shay, and Coran, on their horses. The background was white- they were in some place Lance didn't know. Hunk kept checking his pack, and seemed to be shushing it.

Lance frowned.  _Weird._

He thought about his family, and was sad. "Eli." He muttered to the water, hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of Carvahall.

He didn't get that.

Eli was chained to a wall, which scared Lance because he could see the wall, meaning Eli was in a place he'd been. And the prison that had those walls was-

Gil'ead. 

Lance quickly scryed the rest of his family. All of them were in chains in the prison in Gil'ead. Lance broke the spell and leaned back, shaking, head in his hands. 

 _God, this is my fault._ He thought in horror.

He went out to Blue and nudged her head. "Blue, babe, I'm sorry." He muttered as she grouchily opened an eye. "But it's my family. They're in danger."

_What kind of danger? How do you know?_

"Prisoners of the Empire. I just scryed them." Lance said. "Where's your saddle?"

_Foot of the tree. I'll meet you there._

She was silent as she flew down. Lance had to take the stairs, which took considerably longer. At the bottom, he strapped on Blue's saddle as fast and quietly as he could.

"What are you doing?" A voice asked, and Lance yelped and jumped. 

He turned around. "Oh. Keith." He breathed. "Just, ah, going for a stroll."

"I'm calling bull." Keith said matter-o-factly. "Where are you going?"

Lance sighed. "Gil'ead." He admitted. "I just scryed my family, they're in danger."

"It's probably a trap."

"But they're my  _family_. I would do anything for them."

Something flashed behind Keith's eyes. Lance grumbled and hopped on Blue's back. "Don't try to stop me. I'll be back in a week. If I'm not back by two weeks, something bad happened."

Keith grabbed his pants leg. "I'm not going to stop you. Just let me help."

"Wait, really?"

"You can't stage a rescue for your  _entire_ family just by yourself. And if you're flying into a trap, you're flying in with good company." Lance helped Keith up. "Now let's go."

"Alright." Lance said, a little giddily. "Come on, Blue."

 _Let's go_.

-

By nightfall, Nyma and her band of misfits, as she'd dubbed them, were out of the Hadarac, and what a relief it was. Hunk kept looking in his back, where he'd put his dragon, now affectionately named Goldenseal, and smiling. He kept smiling at Nyma and Shay too.

Hunk's smile made her feel funny things in her stomach. Shay's smile did the same thing. Nyma didn't think it was possible to be allergic to a smile, so she rationalized she just wasn't used to people actually smiling at her and liking her.

Because Shay and Hunk were a  _thing_ and she respected that.

"I think we should make camp here for the night." Shay said, slowing her horse.

"Seconded." Hunk backed her up. 

"Right." Nyma hopped off her horse. "The nearest town is leagues away. We're fine out here."

"Tomorrow we start the trek to Ellesméra." Coran looked day dream-y. "Oh, you three will love it!"

Nyma lay down and wondered how Rolo was doing in the Varden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you guys: i cant wait to see shiro and keith interact!  
> me: oh boy
> 
> my tumblr is witchlightsands and i will gladly give you spoilers also hey i track the tag #the tale of the blue dragon rider and idk you can make me stuff i wouldnt mind


	11. Realizing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this isn't directed at anyone in particular because it's been happening on a lot of my fics- but please don't ask me to update or when I'm going to update next. I'm thrilled you're enjoying my story, but I have a lot of them, plus school and my own work, so I update when I update. that is all
> 
> a note in case you haven't seen it- allura was confirmed as a teen, so unless/until that changes, this is just a shiro/matt fic and all romantic shiro/allura interactions have been removed
> 
> also, slight tw for brief misgendering of a dragon

The night was cold, and the wind blew harsh on Lance's face as Blue flew with all the speed in her. Lance shivered and Keith pressed closer, and as awkward as it was, Lance was grateful for the warmth. 

"We'll be there by a little past sunset, right?" Keith asked. 

"I think so. Blue?"

 _About._ She replied to both of them.

"Lance, this is dangerous. We need a plan of action."

"I have a plan." Lance grumbled.

"If that plan  _is_ 'action', I'm leaving."

"No, no, wait, give me some time." Lance panicked. 

Keith was silent. "I wasn't serious. Sorry. I shouldn't try to joke about this. Your family is important to you."

"It's alright." Lance said. They flew in silence except for the beat of Blue's wing. Hesitantly, Keith asked, "Do you think I'd actually leave?"

"No." Lance said slowly. Keith pinched his arm. "Liar. Say it in the Ancient Language."

Lance tried, but the cursed language wouldn't let him. _Stupid magic languages that don't let people lie._

Keith muttered. "Eka weohnata néiat eitha."  _I will not leave._

They didn't talk about it again.

Eventually, Keith mumbled. "Blue flies really fast, doesn't she?"

"We're taking it easy." Lance shrugged. "I mean, I guess she's fast- I've never really had anything to compare her to."

 _Watch your tongue, Lance._ Blue warned him gently.

"She's fast." Keith said. "A lot faster than Caelum."

"Oh, right. You probably grew up around them." Lance twisted to look back at Keith. "What are they like?"

"Quiet. A good listener, but they don't respond much. When I was fourteen I bared my soul to them, practically, they said two, like, sentences in response, and it continues to be the best advice I ever got."

"What'd you need advice about?"

"Hmm?" Keith had tuned out slightly. "Oh, my sexuality. I was questioning for a few months, just kinda spilled everything to Caelum, and they helped me out. I figured out I'm gay."

"Ah." Lance nodded. "I'm hella bi."

"Neat."

"You know, if we share any more heartfelt confessions under the moonlight, we'll be kissing before long." Lance teased.

Keith snorted. "You're hilarious."

"Thanks, I try." Lance said, and turned back to the front. "You holding up, Blue?"

_If we'll be there by tomorrow's sunset, I insist on a nap before storming the prison._

_Don't worry, we will._ Lance promised. _You'll have earned it._

"Any idea where we are about now, Keith?" Lance asked, noticing the moon was straight above them. 

"We left late and the nights are short this time of year. But I'd say we're a little less than halfway to Osilon. Blue, veer south. We're avoiding the cities. We'll be at the edge of the forest soon enough."

 _Got it_. 

-

Shiro woke up with the sunrise, and had mixed feelings about getting out of bed.

On the one hand, he wanted to start training with Lance immediately. He'd need as much as he could get to stop Zarkon.

On the other, he was tired and upset after fighting with Keith. 

He remembered something Matt had told him months ago, after the argument that caused Keith to leave-  _Siblings fight, Shiro. It's the most natural thing in the world._

_This wasn't a petty sibling squabble, Matt, he nearly burned down a tree._

_He'll get over it._

Apparently he hadn't gotten over it.

"Shiro?" Someone knocked on the door. "Hey, Pidge woke me up early, so I thought I'd come check on you. It's an hour past sunrise."

Shiro forced himself to sit up. "Matt." He smiled. "Sorry, didn't realize I'd stayed in so long. Tell Lance I'll be there soon."

"Lance?" Matt blinked. "No one's seen Lance. Or Blue, for that matter."

That's when Shiro started to panic. Missing Lance he could maybe understand- Ellesméra was a big city and Lance was a curious teenager. Not Blue. After Zarkon had killed all the Riders, and their dragons, the elves would never miss an opportunity to say something nice about Blue. They followed her everywhere, and honestly, a bright sparkling blue dragon wasn't hard to miss.

"Where could they have gone?" Shiro muttered, kicking off his blankets and getting up.

"You think they left?" Matt asked.

"I can't think of anything else." Shiro sighed. "But where could they have gone?"

"Is now the time to mention I haven't seen Keith today either? I mean, he could be avoiding me, but-"

Shiro dragged a hand down his face. "Where the hell are they?"

-

As the sun reached its peak, Blue left the protection of Du Weldenvarden. Lance shuddered as he felt the wards wash over him as they flew away from the pine trees. "We're in the Empire now. Stay sharp."

"You stay sharp." Keith lookeddown, where Lake Isenstar shimmered in shades of blue under them. "Gil'ead is across the lake. It's not a small lake. Blue, land, take a break. If we get out too far, we won't be able to get back to shore if you get tired."

Blue didn't answer, but veered right, and landed among the reed beds. Lance jumped off her back, stretching his poor muscles. "You tired?" Keith asked, landing lightly in the reeds.

"Slept in the saddle a little." Lance said, yawning with a stretch. "You holding up, Blue? We can go slower-"

 _No._ Blue said finally.  _This is your family. We need to rescue them as soon as possible. I'm fine._

_Didn't we agree you'd never push your limits again?_

_I don't remember that._

Lance sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere with her. 

Behind him, Keith snorted. Lance turned on him. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, she just reminds me of you." Keith said easily. "Heedless, reckless, pushing too hard too fast-"

"Sounds like you." Lance countered. Keith paused before replying, "Maybe."

Lance's stomach rumbled. He looked at it, startled and betrayed. "Do we have any food?"

"I didn't pack any." Keith shrugged, looking through Blue's saddle bags anyways. "Eh, a few stale lumps of bread. Want some?"

"Yah." Lance caught the loaf as Keith tossed it to him, and bit into it. "It's not that stale, it's perfectly good bread."

"Whatever you say, Lance." Keith sat down and started picking the reeds, weaving them into some sort of shape. It took Lance a little to realize he was making a crown.

"What's that for?"

"Because it's fun?" Keith countered, not looking up from his reed crown. 

Lance watched him work, silently acknowledging the movements as he grabbed a reed and weaved it into his crown. The sunlight made him sleepy, and the distraction was welcome. 

When Keith was done, he tossed the crown to Lance, who caught it awkwardly. "We should get going if we want to get to Gil'ead by sunset. I'm in front this time."

"She's  _my_ dragon," Lance muttered, putting the reed crown in Blue's saddle bag and hopping into the saddle behind Keith.  _Onward!_

Blue flew up into the sky before diving down and skimming the water of the lake. When her wings brushed the water, it sent up small splashes that sometimes hit Lance in the face. He loved it. Keith didn't seem to. 

The flight across the lake ended up taking longer than Lance expected, and Blue did slow down a lot during it, preferring to swim for a while to rest her wings.  _Told you you were pushing too hard._

 _Shut._ Was Blue's response.

The reached the edge of the lake as the sun started to set, turning the sky red. Gil'ead was just over the hill. Lance surveyed it, and turned to his group. "Rest up. We go in a few hours."

Blue flopped to the ground and soon she was snoring. Lance watched her affectionately as he sat down.

Keith sat in the grass beside him, and together they watched the sunset until Lance said, "I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing."

Keith looked at him. "In all the time I've known you- granted, not very long, but still -you have never shown a hint of uncertainty. You know what you want."

"I know what I  _want_. But I'm not sure I'm  _doing_ it right."

"Ah." Keith said, turning back to the sunset. "Why are you unsure?"

"Because I think we're walking into a trap. If they didn't want me to come rescue my family, they would have found some way to prevent me scrying. That can't be hard for someone as powerful as Zarkon. But we're on the edge of Gil'ead, and no one is out here trying to stop us. I feel a soldier could see us, and we wouldn't have to hide, they'd just pretend to not see us, or ignore us. We're being set up. My family is the bait." Lance hugged his knees to his chest. "But I can't leave. No matter how much logic says I should, I can't force my heart to do it. Plus, then I'd feel bad about dragging you and Blue out here." 

"Even if it is a trap, we won't go. We'll save your family. Promise." Keith said.

"Wanna spar?" Lance asked half-heartedly.

"We should rest up. You'll get a chance to practice your swordsmanship in time." Keith shrugged. "Traps have soldiers."

"True." Lance said, and they fell into silence.

-

"At this speed, we'll get to Ellesméra in, oh, a week and a half!" Coran proclaimed after counting on his fingers.

They were camped along the Ramr River, the closest source of water they could find, and it had taken them seemingly forever to get there. Hunk flopped to the ground, exhausted. 

Goldenseal walked up to him, tilting his head and giving a short sound that sounded a little like a yip. Hunk smiled at him and scratched behind his head. Goldenseal was getting bigger- when he'd first hatched, he'd been as big as a large house cat. Now he rivaled a medium sized dog. He couldn't speak, but his constant presence in Hunk's mind was going to take some getting used to.

If Hunk had thought Goldenseal would be anything like Blue, he was wrong on so many counts. Blue was curious and friendly and active, where Goldenseal was much calmer, preferring to sit with his tail neatly arranged while Hunk worked and mentally explained words and concepts. Goldenseal wasn't  _unfriendly_ by any means- Hunk would say he was an introvert, but always up for a chat, as long as the chat consisted mostly of images.

Hunk wished he could talk to Lance. He wanted to know how to best take care of Goldenseal. He was a small dragon in a big world, and didn't even understand the concept of names entirely.

 _Hunk_. Hunk said, pointing at himself.

 _Hunk_. Goldenseal tried, and started to point at himself with a claw, but pointed at Hunk instead.

Hunk smiled.  _Can you understand me?_

_Hunk._

_We'll work on it_. Hunk thought to himself.

Goldenseal was completely overjoyed with his new discovery, and alighted on Hunk's shoulders, stretching himself out like a scaly scarf, proclaiming,  _Hunk! Hunk! Hunk!_

Hunk laughed and turned to Coran. "Will someone in Ellesméra help me teach Gold how to speak? I don't have as much time as Lance did, and he's not as inquisitive as Blue. He only learns when he wants to."

"I think you'll find someone in the elf city who will help you with all things regarding Goldenseal." Coran smiled. "Now, let's be quick about this!"

 _What could he mean_? Hunk thought to Goldenseal, even if he knew the dragon wouldn't get the full grasp of his question.

 _Hunk_. Goldenseal replied thoughtfully.

-

Even if he was aware it was a trap and there was nothing they could do about it if they wanted to save his family, Lance  _refused_ to just walk through the front door. It was wide open and tempting, but he wasn't going to fall for it. His job was to come up with an alternate entrance.

 _I should be with you_. Blue thought at him unhappily, sending Lance an image of her pacing and stamping her feet. 

 _You're too big for the halls. We're trying to be sneaky, and I love you, but you are not sneaky._ Lance thought back.  _Stay within range. If it goes south, you're our back up._

_I know. Stay safe, little human._

Lance turned to Keith, who was laying beside him, on the rise that overlooked the front of Gil'eads prison. His eyes were closed, and Lance knew he was reaching out with his mind to see if anyone was there at all. It was risky, especially if the magicians that were surely inside the prison sensed his presence. 

When Keith opened his eyes, he said, "They're in there. Along with a few dozen soldiers and something... else. It's dark. I didn't linger on it long. I've never seen anything like it."

"It's alright, we'll just have to work around it. You sure it's them?"

"The numbers match up, and when I skimmed their thoughts, they had memories of you."

Lance smiled a little. "Alright. I think I came up with an entrance. You know how we got into the prisons at Dras Leona?"

"Oh, I hate this plan." Keith muttered. "But I remember."

Lance laughed. "Okay, forget that, because I have a better idea. When I was last here, Blue tore a hole in the wall to the weapon room on the second floor, and that's how we escaped. If they haven't completely rebuilt it, that's our way in. Plus, it's probably weaker there than anywhere else."

"That's... actually a better idea." Keith said, eyes narrowing in something that looked a little like confusion.

Lance huffed. "You don't have to sound so surprised about it."

Keith sighed. "Let's just get going."

 _Be swift._ Lance heard Blue call to both of them.

They slunk around the prison to get to the wall Lance was speaking of. Lance pointed to the area. "You can tell because it's a different color."

Keith agreed. "We can't climb up two stories of a vertical wall, Lance." He mentioned.

"Leave it to me." Lance grinned. The prison walls were made of stone. With this in mind, he called upon his magic, and whispered, "Stenr, moi."  _Stone, change._

The wall started to shift, and a few choice stones started to move forward slightly, and their shape became easier to grasp. At the top, by the area where Blue had torn through, Lance formed a small platform of stone. The magic took a lot out of him, and he steadied himself on Keith. Then he grinned and gestured to his handiwork. "Handholds."

"You okay?" Keith asked, and his eyes betrayed a hint of emotion. Lance gave him a half salute. "Tip top. Now come on, my family needs me."

Lance went up first, with Keith trailing not that far behind him. Lance balanced on the platform, waiting for Keith, and prepared to mutter another spell that would let them get through the wall. Before he could, Keith showed up and whispered something Lance couldn't here. The wall silently crumbled into dust, revealing the inside of the weapons room. Lance coughed and batted away the dust, and leaped into the room, bringing out his sword to fight the soldiers stationed there. They were dead before they could sound an alarm.

"Where are they?"

"Down and to the right." Keith replied after a minute. "Had to switch around my mental map. Come on, let's go."

They walked down the stairs, careful not to be seen. Randomly, Keith grabbed the sleeve of Lance's shirt and dragged him back, into an alcove. Before Keith could say anything, Lance muttered a spell that would hide them. Keith gave him an angry glare. 

Now Lance could hear what Keith had heard before him on account of his elf hearing- footsteps. And mumbled words. 

A man with bright red hair, and eyes the color of blood walked by. Lance recognized him instantly. Sendak.

 _We have to fight a Shade?!_ Lance gulped. Only three people in the history of Alagaësia had succeeded in slaying a Shade, and it hadn't been any time recently.

Beside him, Keith tensed. Lance could feel the hesitancy in him as he spoke directly into Lance's mind.  _I'm an idiot. I didn't realize that dark presence was Sendak._ He shot up his mental barriers before Lance could reply.

Sendak was carrying a box, and speaking to an officer beside him. "Haxus, before anything else, I want you to scan the entire prison. Our  _guests_ are overdue for their appointment."

"Of course, sir." Haxus said stiffly. "But if you don't mind me asking... what is there to accomplish by carrying  _that_ so brazenly."

Sendak gave a short smile, showing his teeth that looked like they'd been filed to a point. "Well, if you want to catch flies, you bait them with what they can't resist- honey. If you want to catch a Dragon Rider, you bait him with his loved ones. To catch an elf, you have to bait them with something  _they_ can't resist. I think any elf who passes up the opportunity to save the red egg is a sad elf indeed. Besides, Zarkon has complete trust in me to keep them from actually retrieving this, and they'd have to kill me to get to it, which they never will-"

At that point, the two had walked out of ear range. Lance breathed, and released the magic hiding them from view.

Keith looked pale. "That's... that's the red egg. The one Zarkon still had. It's here. We have to get it."

"We will." Lance promised. "We'll save the egg and my family."

"This is a trap." Keith said. "The bait was your family. The trap is the egg."

"But we can't leave it." Lance said. "If Zarkon can find a Rider for it-"

"We're doomed." Keith finished. "I know. Just... ah."

"They're expecting us. That completely _ruins_ our advantage of surprise."

"Not entirely." Keith pointed out. "They don't know _when_ , and they didn't see us right then. Even though I wish you would stop using magic and save your strength."

"You're welcome, I saved us twice." Lance said, slightly hurt. 

"Yah. Whatever, come on." 

They snuck through the halls of the prison, and Lance didn't want to kill any more of the soldiers than he had to. He could practically feel Keith's annoyance at him growing with every spell as he put the soldiers in their paths to sleep. 

"When they wake up, we'll just have to deal with them later." Keith muttered. "They're the  _enemy_."

"They won't wake up." Lance guaranteed. 

"Well, well." A voice that was a mix of silky and slimy (silmy) purred. Silky because the voice was smooth and deep, slimy because it sent a bad feeling down Lance's spine. In front of them, Sendak walked towards them, arms extended. "You came."

Lance raised his sword. "What have you done to them?" He hissed.

"Where's the egg, Shade?" Keith spit. 

Sendak went  _tut tut tut._ "So impatient. We can have a nice chat once you're both reinstated into your cells. Except this time, you're going to Uru'baen."

"I'll sooner die!" Lance declared, and lunged at Sendak.

Sendak's eyes widened and he shot an arc of red lighting from his fingers. Lance dodged, and the bolt scorched the wall behind him.

Keith had out his knife, and he also attacked Sendak, a heartbeat after Lance. Sendak struck him in the chest and sent him sprawling across the hall. In that split second, Lance struck, aiming to hit the Shade's heart, but Sendak was too quick, and drew his sword in an upward swipe. There was a strange sound, and Lance realized it was the sound of blood hitting the floor. His arm moved, and his hand was in front of his face, and his fingers were red.

Lance's body felt like it was on fire, and his vision went black.

Before his senses and his consciousness failed him completely, he heard a wordless howl of horror.

-

Keith's ribs hurt from where Sendak had struck him and he hit the wall, but he muttered a quick healing spell and shook it off, dragging himself up. His knife had fallen somewhere, he looked for it desperately. 

When he looked up, knife in hand, ready to attack again, he looked up in time to see Sendak draw his sword. In the same motion, he attacked Lance, and sliced upwards from Lance's right hip, and stopping a little below his right collar bone. Lance's shirt was quickly stained red, with blood dripping from Sendak's sword and pouring from Lance's body. He swayed back and forth, and touched the wound, then brought his fingers, now covered in blood, to his face.

He dropped to the ground, and Keith screamed. 

Sendak looked at the body disdainfully, and then turned to Keith, shaking his sword as to rid it of blood. "Oh, don't be like that. He's not irreplaceable."

Keith screamed again, except this time it was a spell, designed to hold the Shade in one place. Sendak took a step forward, and Keith had to cut off his spell halfway through to defend himself.

Outside, he could hear humans screaming, and ferocious roar.  _Blue! Blue, is he dead?_ Keith thought as he fended off Sendak.

Blue's response was muddled. She could feel Lance's pain, and she didn't like that. He was in danger and she was hurting.  _Save him save him_! was her most coherent thought.

 _Blue!_ Keith tried again.

Blue sent Keith an image of her flying towards the prison.  _He will be fine. I will be there soon_.

Sendak managed to hit Keith's arm. He gasped, and turned away, clutching the wound. 

"You cannot defeat me!" Sendak declared.

Sendak's back was to Lance, which meant Keith could see him perfectly. His arm was snaking towards Aeternitas, slowly. Keith had to keep Sendak distracted.

"Of course I can, and I will!" Keith attacked, and by sheer luck managed to cut Sendak on the cheek. "I've only started my revenge."

"You can't win, little elf."

"Brisingr!" 

Keith hadn't yelled the magic word for fire.

Lance sent a pillar of blue flames at Sendak, and it hit him in the back. Sendak howled and turned to face him, and while Sendak was distracted Keith pushed him.

Sendak stumbled forward and Lance lunged forward and impaled Sendak's heart.

Lance kicked Sendak away from him as his skin became transparent, revealing the evil spirits trapped in him. Lance locked eyes with Keith, then sighed and fainted. 

Keith ran to him, propping him up. "Lance." He whispered. He was terrible at healing magic, but he muttered, "waíse heill." The gash in Lance's side stopped bleeding, and the skin started to knit together again. 

Lance opened his eyes a fraction. "Did I kill him?" Lance rasped. 

Keith could have cried. "Hell damn yah." He muttered, grasping Lance's hand.

"You helped." Lance realized. "We did it. We are a good team."

Keith smiled. "Yah." His smile faltered. "Lance, I lo-"

Lance had already passed out again. 

Keith set him against the wall, and sent Blue an image of him.  _He'll be fine._ He said.

Blue sent him an image of her about to tear down the prison walls.  _I know where he is. Go find his family. And the dragon egg._

Keith went to find Lance's family first.

-

It took him several cells to find the first one. It was a boy, older than Lance, but obviously not his father. He shuffled back. "The hell are you?" He asked. "You won't-"

"Hey, relax." Keith hesitated, then showed the boy his ears. "I'm with your brother. Lance."

" _With_ him?"

Keith's ears turned red. "That had implications I didn't mean. But he's here, and I'm his... friend."

"Then where is he?" He demanded. 

"Hurt." Keith explained.

"Tell me something only my brother would know." He crossed his arms.

Keith analyzed him. "Lance has two older brothers. Are you Eli or Rin?"

"Any guard would know those names and ages."

"Alright, alright." Keith thought about it. "Lance is stubborn, and competitive, and extremely cocky. He's also so, so selfless, and has a heart of gold. He had brown skin and blue eyes and his brown hair curls around his face in the wind, and his laugh makes you want to laugh too, and his smile is higher on the left side and when he's focusing his nose wrinkles and his eyes narrow and-"

"Alright, I believe you." He laughed. "Are you sure you're not _with_ him?"

Keith turned red. "Are you Eli or Rin?" He asked again.

"Eli." He said. 

"Well, Eli, I'm here to rescue you."

-

Lance woke up, dazed, and saw his mom smiling over him. He managed to whisper her name before blacking out again.

When he woke up again, it was dark, and he was tucked against Blue's wing. He sat up and looked around, his side hurting. Keith was tending to a small fire. "You're up."

"Where's my mom?" Lance asked.

"I sent her and your family down on their way to Arus. They'll be safe there." Keith offered him a bowl of soup as Lance went over to sit by him.

He looked up and saw pine trees. "Where are we?"

"Just inside Du Weldenvarden." Keith smiled. "You've been out for two days. Gil'ead wasn't safe for us to stay nearby. I'm sorry you couldn't see your family."

"It's okay. It's for the best." Lance drank some of his soup. "Thank you."

Lance looked around, and panic gripped him. "Wait, the egg where's the-"

"Blue's saddle bag." Keith said easily. "He's fine."

Lance nodded. "Alright. So we get back to Ellesméra now?"

"But not as fast as we left." Keith agreed. "We're not in any huge rush. We just need to be back before the Agaetí Blödhren and we're golden."

Lance scanned his knowledge of the Ancient Language before asking, "What's the Agaetí Blödhren?"

"Blood-Oath Celebration. It celebrates the pact of the elves and the dragons after the Dragon War."

"The Dragon War?"

"Long story short, elves and dragons used to fight a lot, and when the war ended the Dragon Riders were formed. That's our pact. Our races are linked together." Keith looked and Blue and smiled. "So when Zarkon destroyed the Riders and all the dragons except a few eggs..."

"Oh." Lance said, and started tearing at a blade of grasss. "So this Celebration is important?"

"Very. It only happens once every century, so I've never been. And speaking of, it's customary for everyone to make a gift. It can be a song, a poem, a puzzle, a sword, whatever. Only use magic if it's required for your gift to function. No one will like it if you just poof something out of existence."

Lance nodded. "I got it."

Keith smiled at him. "Come on, get some sleep. We have a lot of traveling ahead of us."

Lance curled up against Blue's wing, and started to drift off to sleep.

-

"Blue, holy crap." Lance was pacing back and forth while Blue sat in front of him, watching. "Blue  _holy crap_."

_Lance-_

"No, Blue, listen." 

After getting back to Ellesméra and getting scolded by Shiro ("Where have you been? What were you _thinking_?") and explaining the situation to Shiro (that seemed to calm him down), Keith had hugged him. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I... I'm really sorry. For everything."

Shiro seemed stunned, but that didn't stop him from hugging Keith back. "You're my little brother. I forgive you. I'm sorry too."

Lance watched awkwardly as they reconciled. He eventually smiled and rubbed the back of his head, leaving them alone.  _You know what, Keith's a pretty cool dude._ He said to Blue. 

_Yes, he is. I like him._

_I love him too._ Lance said, then froze, and here he was.

"Blue, what the hell." Lance whispered as he analyzed himself. " _Blue_."

_Little human._

"Blue, I'm in love with him." Lance grabbed his hair. "How did this happen? Holy crap,  _I'm in love with him_."

_I've noticed._

"How did you notice before me?" Lance demanded.

_We're linked, you and I, and you're unobservant._

"How could this happen?" Lance whispered. "I did, like, everything in my power to  _not_ fall in love with Keith.  _I'm in love with him_."

_Are you sure?_

Lance nodded, and leaned against her side. "I'm pretty sure." He muttered. "I love him."

_What are you going to do about it?_

"Nothing." Lance said, determined. "Absolutely nothing."

-

Keith got to keep the red dragon egg in his house because by the time he and Shiro had finally talked out their problems, it was too late to take it to Allura. So Keith got to watch over the egg for one night.

He'd talked to the egg a lot while Lance was sleeping after Gil'ead, like he'd talked to Blue's egg. Reassuring things. Things like "I'm Keith, you should hatch soon, we need you". 

He sat in bed, staring at the box on his table. Then he got up and walked over to it, and took the egg out of the gilded wooden box.

It was real. Sendak had actually had the real dragon egg with him. Maybe he'd thought a replica wouldn't work as bait.

Keith ran a finger down the egg as he sat on his bed, holding it in his lap. "Hey, buddy." He muttered. "What have you been through?"

Keith sat there for a while before the egg cracked.

He was so startled when it happened, it had been so unexpected, that he yelped, and almost dropped the egg. He placed it on his bed and stepped back, breathing heavily.

It took several minutes, and the small peeps and the sharp cracks seemed too loud in the quiet night. Keith stared in mixed awe and surprise and shock as the first bit of the baby dragon's snout poked out of the shell. 

When the dragon was fully out, he amused himself with stepping on the bits of eggshells, making a trilling noise in the back of his throat. Keith hesitantly held his hand forward.  _Oh my God oh my God oh my God-_

The dragon regarded him, chirped, and pressed his forehead against Keith's palm.

After a few seconds of a sensation that felt like ice cold needles in his skin, Keith took his hand away and stared at the silvery marking now on his palm. He gently picked up the dragon, and felt the mental link between them grow. He-  _she_ -she was hungry.

"Oh boy." Keith whispered.

The dragon- his dragon -chirped, her tail swishing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact Caelum is latin for sky and it's pronounced like Kye-loom (kye rhymes with rye) don't think i mentioned that last chapter
> 
> my tumblr is witchlightsands and i'm really bitter all the time


	12. Forging

Keith stared at his dragon with awe and confusion. She chirped, sending her hunger across their mental link. "Fine, we'll get you food." He muttered, grabbing a coat and stuffing her in the inside pocket. She protested with a squeak.

 _Quiet_. Keith said, sending her the idea of being still and silent. She paused, considered it, then curled up in his coat. Keith exhaled.

He went to Lance's house first. He didn't  _exactly_ know why, but he felt he couldn't take her to Shiro until she had a name, and he'd talked through whatever... _this_ was.

Name. She needed a  _name_.

He froze before he started up the stairs. No way in hell was he going to let Lance give any input on her name. 

"What do you want to be named?" Keith mumbled, knowing she wouldn't answer or understand. He looked up at the stars between the leaves of the tree, and focused on a small red one. Maybe it was a super nova.

Nova...

Keith sent her an image of the star, and the idea of her being called after that star. She agreed. 

Keith started up the stairs, holding Nova close to his chest. He knocked on the door to Lance's house, and waited.

Lance opened the door. He had strange green stuff on his face. Keith squinted at it. "What is that?"

"No idea, but it makes my skin soft and it smells nice so I like it. The real question is what are you  _doing_ here?"

Keith gulped and walked in. "You have to promise not to tell anyone." He whispered.

"Tell anyone what?"

As if on cue, Nova chirped, and Keith opened up his coat to show Lance the shining red dragon. Lance gasped. "No way."

"She hatched." Keith whispered. He held out his hand to Lance and let him touch the shining palm on his hand. "She hatched for  _me_."

"Alright." Lance whispered. "She's so... small. Blue, do you remember being that small?"

 _No_. Blue said.  _My egg was bigger than her's. I hatched bigger._

"What's her name?" Lance asked. 

"Nova." Keith whispered.

Lance went  _hmmph._ "Not what I would have named her."

"You would have named her Red and be done with it." Keith said. 

"Not true." Lance muttered. He held out his hand to Nova. "Can I touch her?"

"I think so." Keith said. "If she lets you."

Nova nudged her head against Lance's hand, and chirped. "Did Blue chirp?"

 _I did not. Not every dragon will be the same, Keith. Shiro would know more than us_.

"You're right. Will you join me for moral support?"

"Why?"

"I just... this is a lot to take in." Keith ran a finger along the membrane of Nova's wing. She squeaked and nipped at him. 

"Blue, hold down the fort." Lance said. "Give me a chance to wipe this gunk off of my face and we'll go."

"Thank you, Lance."

"Anytime."

-

Keith knocked on the door to Shiro's hut, holding his breath. When he heard the door creak open he immediately spluttered out, "Shiro the red egg hatched for me and her name is Nova and we bonded and-"

"Slow down." Matt said, grinning from Keith from the doorway. 

"Who is it, Matt?" Shiro asked, coming up to wrap an arm around Matt's waist. "Keith?"

Speechless, Keith shoved Nova at him. She gave an indignant squeak and hopped onto Matt's shoulders briefly before hopping to the ground, head held high.

"The red egg? It hatched?" Shiro blinked. "For my little brother?"

"Seems that way." Lance said from behind Keith. Keith didn't look back, but he sent Lance the mental impression of a glare.

"Come on in." Shiro said, ushering the boys and Nova inside. "I'll assume you want to keep this a secret."

Keith nodded. Nova had apparently forgiven him for shoving her at Shiro, and was curled up on top of his head, her tail draping onto his face. 

"I'm sworn to secrecy." Matt said, holding his hand on his heart. "You need a sword."

"I'll keep my knife." Keith said, a hard edge on his voice.

"But a Rider's sword is magic." Lance argued. "Coran told me they were made out of a special metal and that ordinary blades couldn't compete-"

"My knife is made of the same thing." Keith said, unsheathing the blade. "It's made like a Rider's sword, except it's a knife. Won't break, won't bend, won't chip, won't stain, the works."

"I didn't make it." Matt said. "And Pidge doesn't know how to make Rider's swords. My father must have made it."

"It was my father's." Keith said. "But I don't know my father."

"Me and Keith are half brothers." Shiro explained to Lance. "Different dads."

"Could we ask your dad who Keith's dad is?" Lance asked Matt. "I mean, Keith deserves to know and if your dad made the knife-"

"My father is dead." Matt said. "He was a Dragon Rider. He and his dragon Kerberos died fighting Zarkon."

"Oh. I'm sorry-"

"Leave it, Lance." Keith sighed, putting his knife up. "I didn't come here to learn who my father is, I came to peace with that a long time ago. I came here for Nova." 

At the mention of her name, Nova sent Keith the idea that she was  _hungry_. He'd given her a few strips of meat at Lance's, but it wasn't enough for her. "She needs food." Keith said.

Shiro was silent for a moment before answering, "Caelum just got done hunting. They're going to bring the kill back here for her."

"Thank them for me." Keith said.

"I wonder if Hunk and the others found the yellow egg." Lance mused. "The green egg is the only one left to find if they did."

"No one knows where the green egg is, Lance." Shiro sighed. "And we may never know."

Lance deflated. Keith attempted to raise his spirits by saying, "Now that I'm a Rider too, we're going to have to train together."

Lance did perk up at that. "I don't care if you're a Dragon Rider now, I'm still gonna beat you at sword fighting."

Keith rolled his eyes.

"Since you're both here, and both Riders, I can start to train you." Shiro said. "But no more joyrides to Gil'ead."

"Yes, Shiro." Lance and Keith said in sync.

-

"Huh." Coran said.

"Huh?  _Huh_? What is  _huh_?" Hunk demanded.

"I might have miscalculated the time it will take for us to get to Du Weldenvarden." Coran said, twisting his mustache. "We should be there in four days. Just in time for the Blood Oath Celebration."

Hunk didn't even question what that was. He just stroked the back of Goldenseal's head.  _You okay?_

 _I am fine, Hunk_. Goldenseal answered, pausing to consider each word. He wanted to say something, but couldn't figure out how.He gave up trying to convey his thought with words and sent Hunk a mix of feelings and an image of them flying together through the sky.

_One day you want to fly together?_

_Yes! One day I will have the ability to carry you through the cloud-filled-blue-sky._ Goldenseal was big enough to fly himself, but he didn't have the strength or size to carry Hunk. 

Hunk smiled. _That'll be good._  

Nyma's horse trotted up beside Hunk's. Nyma herself said, "We're making good time. Should we ride through the night?"

"We should take it easy." Coran started, but then he paused. "Actually, can we rest? I have someone I need to talk to."

"But we're miles from any town." Shay started.

"And who would you want to see in them anyways?" Nyma finished. 

"Trust me?" Coran offered.

Hunk got off his horse. "I'll build a fire. Shay, help me heat up some of our food?"

"No problem."

Shay, Nyma, and Hunk gave Coran some distance, and were halfway through a soup when Coran came over, eyes wide. "We need to get to Ellesméra as fast as the horses will carry us. Quick, we can eat in the saddle. We're riding through the night."

"Why the sudden urgency?" Nyma asked, attempting to hand Coran his bowl. He ignored her offering. "I just spoke with the leader of the Varden. They're expecting an attack within the week."

"What?" Hunk gasped. 

"Rolo is there." Nyma paled. 

"How do they know?"

"Zarkon's forces are mobilizing. Somehow, he found out where they were. An attack is imminent as soon as the army reaches their city mountain." Coran must have called over the horses with his mind, because the horses had ran over. He lifted himself onto his. "Hurry, we have to warn the elves, and send Lance to help them!"

-

Pidge really desperately wanted to know how to make a Dragon Rider's sword. She'd begged Matt, but he said he couldn't without brightsteel. Brightsteel was made from falling stars, and it was the metal Dragon Rider's swords were made of. He refused to even teach her the theory without brightsteel.

Pidge sighed and kicked a rock at her feet. She wasn't very in tune with nature, unlike  _literally every other elf ever_ , but there was one tree she liked. The Menoa tree, where an elf who had fallen in love with a human that cheated on her sung herself into the tree with magic. Pidge liked the story because before she sung herself into the tree with her heart ache, she had murdered him and his lover.

Pidge sat on the roots of the Menoa tree, kicking her feet and staring at the stars, tinkering with a few pieces of scrap metal. She wanted to see if she could get her project to work on a small scale before she built the real thing for the Agaetí Blödhren. 

"Busy hands means a busy mind." An older elf who's skin looked like tree bark (wrinkles and all) said, walking up to Pidge. Pidge could tell she was an elf- she had those pointed ears and maybe if she stretched her memories she could remember seeing the stranger around the city.

"Who are you?" Pidge asked, standing up, momentarily tucking her project away.

"My name is Ryner." She smiled. "What's on your mind?"

Pidge sighed. "I'm the blacksmith apprentice. I know I can do great things, but I can't ever get the chance. I want to make a Rider's sword, but there are no Riders to forge swords for. And no brightsteel to forge them with."

"Hm." Ryner said sympathetically, looking lost in thought. "I'm sure you'll find your chance one day, young blacksmith."

"What are you doing out here? I thought this was my place." Pidge said, someone petulantly. 

"I came here to check on an old friend." She smiled. "I thought this was my place, too. But I haven't been here for a while, and it's only fitting that one younger than me comes to claim it."

"You wanted to check on the tree?" Pidge asked, confused.

Ryner smiled and touched the branch of the tree. "You can speak to her, you know. Linnëa, the elf in the Menoa tree."

"I know. She usually doesn't respond. She's kind of sleepy."

Ryner closed her eyes, a soft glow coming from her hand, her mouth forming words. The roots to the right side of Pidge started to shift, and two very distinct and equally precious things were revealed. One was a large lump of a shiny material that Pidge knew, without a doubt, was brightsteel. The other was a green lump with white veins.

"The green egg." Pidge whispered, scooping up the egg. It was so small, only a little bigger than both her hands. She looked at Ryner with wide eyes. "You're the one who rescued the green egg?"

Ryner nodded. "I have kept myself and it safe, but every full moon I come to check on the egg. And tonight you were here. I think you two will get along."

"And what about the brightsteel?"

"Your father wasn't the only blacksmith." Ryner winked. "Please, don't tell anyone my name- the rescuer of the yellow egg may be in danger if you do. And I like my secrecy."

"I won't tell anyone." Pidge promised, cradling the egg against her chest as she picked up the brightsteel. There was more brightsteel than the egg by at least double, maybe triple. Definitely enough for a sword. "Thank you." She said.

"Take care of the egg until it hatches." Ryner said. "I have a feeling about you. You're going to do all those great things you want to do."

-

Keith and Lance spent the night at Shiro's hut, mostly because it was already late and Keith didn't want to risk taking Nova out more than he had to. She was so small, and had a great sense of her own importance, Lance thought, but too young to defend herself properly. 

Matt left in the morning, and when he was gone, Shiro woke up Lance and Keith. "Go to the training grounds and spar with whoever is there until Caelum comes to get you."

"You won't spar with us?" Lance asked, a little disappointed. Shiro, in all honesty, wasn't very good at this whole "mentor" thing. 

"I don't like to start the day with clamor." He said. "Now go along."

The sparring grounds in Ellesméra were bigger than Lance had imagined, and filled with elves of all genders practicing archery and swordplay. One female elf had a large mace she was sharpening. Keith and Lance looked at each other as they walked to the training grounds. "I think he wants us to train with people who aren't each other." Lance said.

"Screw that." Keith snorted, blowing that fringe of hair out of his eyes. "I mean, you can if you want, but-"

"No, no, I want to train with you." Lance said quickly. He pulled out Aeternitas even as Keith got out his knife. "Does your knife have a name?" Lance asked absently. 

"A what?" Keith blinked. 

"A name. Like, a fancy cool name."

"Marmora."

"What does that mean-" Lance yelped as Keith lunged at him with a smug grin. Lance couldn't block, so he just dived away. 

"No idea." Keith smirked. 

Lance thought he and Keith were pretty evenly matched- Lance had the extra boost of being a Dragon Rider for a longer time, so he was closer to having the strength of an elf every day. And Keith seemed... different from the other elves. Lance wouldn't have fought any of them if he had the choice. But Keith? Keith he could take. In theory. He'd never actually beaten him.

And by the end of their training session, with Caelum standing at the edge looking at them silently with amber eyes, Lance began to think he never would.

-

Pidge had stayed up all night, waiting for Matt. She'd tried to sleep, but that hadn't worked. She was too excited to sleep. 

When he walked through the door, he blinked sleepily a few times as Pidge looked at him expectantly, holding the raw brightsteel. Finally, he said, rather loudly, "Where did you get that?"

"It's a long story." Pidge grinned, bouncing on her toes. "Is this enough? Can you help me forge my sword?"

Matt sighed. "Pidge, I know you don't want to hear this, but that's enough for several swords. The only thing is, there aren't any Riders that need swords, and we can't just make a sword with no cause-"

"No, Matt, you don't understand." Pidge showed her brother her hand, and the silvery gedwëy ignasia on her palm. "Can you help me forge  _my_ sword?"

"Holy hell." Was all Matt said.

Pidge's dragon, newly named Rover, hopped up from the table where she was hiding, and gave a yowl from her new perch on Pidge's shoulder.

-

"Balance is key." Shiro said. "Flexibility and strength must exist at the same time for you to excel at swordplay, and both your mental and physical state must be in tune. You must try to find the balance between magic and muscle. Without that balance, you will never defeat Zarkon, and everything as we know it will continue to wither away into nothingness."

"Always the optimist." Keith muttered from where he was sitting beside Lance. Lance snorted.

Shiro glared at them before continuing. "Normal Dragon Rider training takes years to complete. But we don't have years. We may not even have months. What we have is the now. So forgive me if I don't teach you every bit of history- if you're interested, Keith knows where the library is. But the most important thing is getting you ready to fight Zarkon."

"You'll help us with that, right?" Lance asked, just to double check.

"Of course I will. But I can't do everything. Dozens of Riders fought him to prevent him from rising to power, and now they're all dead."

"Wait, but if they couldn't do it, how can we?" Keith narrowed his eyes.

"We have to." Shiro sighed. "And we have one advantage the Riders of old didn't have- he can't kill us."

"He can't?" Lance asked, surprised. 

"Not if he wants the dragons to return. Which he does." Shiro said, rubbing his metal arm against Caelum's long black neck. "Riders and dragons are linked. You kill one, you most often end up killing the other."

"He wants the dragons to return?"

"So he can control the new generation of Riders." Shiro said darkly. 

"Which is why we have to stop him." Lance said, straightening up.

"Exactly." Shiro sighed. "I'm afraid we don't have much time. The Agaetí Blödhren draws nearer, and I'd like you both to participate. So start thinking about what you want your gifts to be. But don't think we're slacking on training. In fact, we start right now."

_Weren't we supposed to start like a speech ago?_

-

"I hate to have to bastardize your first Rider's sword." Matt sighed even as he and Pidge built the charcoal fire to melt the brightsteel. "But-"

"I know, I know, like you said the first three times, it takes weeks and we don't have weeks." Pidge was practically vibrating. "I just want to do it!"

Matt ruffled their hair. "I know. One day there's going to be more Riders, and you're going to make swords the right way. For now, let's focus on your's." 

Pidge grinned. Rover, from where she was sitting on a tree stump, yowled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rover: just screams
> 
> my tumblr is witchlightsands. love me


	13. Destiny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: im gonna make an extra long chapter :)  
> this chapter: mmm sounds fake but okay

A Dragon Rider's blade was traditionally custom made to tailor to the Rider's fighting style, and their dragon's color. Lance was lucky- he learned how to fight with Aeternitas, and the sword itself was blue, if not the exact shade of blue that Blue was. Pidge had to make their sword themselves, and they'd never done that before.

Pidge and Matt built a charcoal fire to melt the brightsteel, and that took hours to build and hours to melt. By the time it was done, it was night. 

"We're speeding up some of the process with magic." Matt picked up the pieces of brightsteel with a pair of tongs. "But I want to do as much of it the right way as we can."

"Understood." Pidge said solemnly and helped their brother sort the pieces of brightsteel.

"Look, this metal is too soft, and this is too hard. We could fix it, but that would take another heating. So we're going to use the ones that are ready. There's enough."

Rover poked her head around whatever the elves were doing, not interrupting but curiously watching. Occasionally, Pidge threw her a piece of meat for a snack. It was taking hours.

"The Agaetí Blödhren," Pidge whispered. "Could this be my craft?"

"If we get it done in time, which we should," Matt promised.

Pidge continued to hammer the metal.

-

"What the hell am I going to do, Blue?" Lance asked. 

_What about?_

"You know what about!" Lance sighed and leaned forward where he was sitting in her saddle, and absently scratched her neck. "The Blood Oath Celebration. It's in just a few days, and I haven't done anything for it. I  _have_ to bring a craft of some kind."

_Do you know what Keith and Shiro are doing?_

_And Caelum._ Lance sighed, slipping into the comfort of their mental bond in this trying time.  _Keith is painting something, Shiro is writing a poem, and Caelum is doing something with a pillar of rock._

_What about you?_

_I'm not sure. What can I do to show off my creativity and craftsmanship? I'm not supposed to use magic unless my craft needs it to work._ Lance sighed.  _What are you doing?_

 _Finding shed deer antlers in the forest and carefully fusing them together. It's quite pretty at the moment._ Blue sent him a mental image. 

 _That is nice._ Lance agreed.  _So I'm apparently the only one who doesn't know._

Blue hummed, and they fell into a comfortable silence while Lance mulled over his options. He frowned.  _Something is bothering you._

 _I never thought much about who I liked._ Blue said.  _I never had to. I was under the impression I was the last dragon alive, apart from Haggar._

 _What's wrong?_ Lance asked.

_I don't know what the word is in English, or if it varies for dragons. But I think I only would ever be interested in another female dragon._

_The word for that is lesbian._ Lance said.  _I don't see why it would be different for dragons. If you don't mind me asking, what do you think led you to start thinking about this?_

_I'm not sure. It just feels right. We are linked, you and I, and you've shared your experiences with me. It's like when you realized you liked boys too- there was no specific event, just the realization. Except for me, it's realizing I like girls. And only girls._

_That's fair. I'm glad you realized this part of yourself._ Lance scratched her neck again.  _I love you._

_I love you too, small human._

Lance heard a noise and looked up. Keith was jogging towards him, carrying a pack on his back that was wriggling awkwardly. "Sorry, I'm late. I didn't want anyone to see Nova, and she wouldn't stop squeaking, and-"

"You're not the only late one." Lance said, hopping down from his place on Blue's back. "Me and Blue have been waiting here for half an hour, wasn't Shiro supposed to meet us here half an hour ago?"

Keith frowned. "He's not here?"

"Yah. I thought I was in the wrong place, but if we're both here, there's no way me, Blue,  _and_ you can  _all_ be wrong."

"I mean, there is." Keith noted, shrugging off his pack and opening it. Nova poked her head out and squeaked. "But I doubt we are. Maybe Shiro's just busy."

"Have you gone to see Matt?"

"No? Why would I need to?"

Lance shrugged. "Maybe you at least wanted to check up on your blade. And how about this- if Shiro isn't here in the next five minutes, we go see Matt and ask him where the hell his boyfriend is."

Keith laughed and Lance's heart skipped a beat. "Seems like a plan."

They ended up waiting for more like ten minutes, because they were good students like that, and also they lost track of time sparring. Lance lost, but he managed to get a hit on Keith, which he was immensely proud of, even if it was just a tap on the arm.

"Let's just go." Keith said. "Maybe Matt will know where he is."

"Maybe." Lance agreed.

-

"How much longer? If the Varden are going to be attacked, that's kinda time sensitive, Coran!" Hunk yelled up at him. 

"We'll be there soon!" Coran called back.

"Everyone quiet." Nyma said, and everyone went still. It was quiet. 

Then there was a clang of metal.

"Ambush!" Shay yelled. "Scatter!"

Hunk nudged his horse forward. Goldenseal was flying in the clouds above them, testing out his wings, and flew after Hunk. His mind brushed against Hunk's conscience, anxious. Hunk tried to sooth him as best as he could without words. 

 _Who's attacking us_? Hunk thought fleetingly as he looked back. He could see several figures on horseback, chasing, but he couldn't see their faces, or even assume they were human. 

Hunk muttered words in the Ancient Language under his breath, and used his newfound Dragon Rider strength in magic to throw up a dirt screen to mask his escape. He called Gold down to him with his mind, and the dragon dived towards him. Goldenseal was getting big, still, but not big enough to ride. Pity, Hunk could have used a lift out of there.

Hunk knew what they said about assuming, but since they were being pursued and attacked, he felt it was safe to assume that they were not friendly, and that they were after the yellow dragon egg- or, now that he had hatched, Goldenseal himself. The thought was not calming. 

Hunk looked around, knowing he only had a few seconds before his dust screen dissipated, and the attackers would continue to chase. He started muttering a collection of spells, leaning on Goldenseal's strength to get them done. He jumped off his horse and finished them, not daring to breathe. 

By the time the dust fell, Hunk could see their ambushers. Galra- the ugly fuzzy purple kind, accompanied by Zarkon's soldiers. Hunk could only hope his spells against detection would hold. They would only work if he was very, very still. Goldenseal, who had obviously picked up on whatever desperate instructions Hunk was giving him, or just following by example, was keeping still from where he was laying on the ground. 

 _Danger. Bad men-who-are-not-Hunk._ Goldenseal was saying in Hunk's head. Gold had a habit of stringing the few words he knew together to form new ideas instead of waiting for new words.  _Still. No movementing._

Hunk's horse must have startled, maybe because the Galra were coming closer, and the horse ran off into the night. The Galra soldiers and the other Galra took chase after her. Hunk waited for a minute after he couldn't see them, and released the spells around him, panting.  _That's a lot of magic._ He thought.

Goldenseal nudged his shoulder.  _Others. Find others. Find Shay-who-Hunk-likes and Coran-the-hairy-lip and cat-or-girl-Nyma._

 _Good idea._ Hunk said, standing up, his limbs feeling heavy and useless. Goldenseal snuggled up to him, making a rumble in his throat.  _We only have a few moments before they find us again, probably._

Goldenseal thought carefully about his answer.  _Hunk, we will be just fine._ He said.

Hunk scratched his neck. "Yah, we will." He muttered out loud. "Now, come on, we have to find the others!"

-

The forge was hot, and Pidge was starting to get tired. They'd tied their hair back in a small, fluffy ponytail to keep it out of their face, and listened carefully as Matt instructed them on how to sing the enchantments into the metal as they forged the sword.

Pidge was only half listening, because they only half needed to. The song was easy enough- elf magic was strongest when it could be put into a song. They sung about the metal, and all it could do, and sung about the hammer hitting it right every time. The hammer always hit right. 

Pidge was forging themselves a short kind of sword- they were small, and their dragon was young but she would be small, so their blade would be small as well. Small but sharp. Maybe Pidge could call their sword "Wit" in the ancient language- it seemed clever. But they didn't want to name the sword until it was done. 

Pidge worked and sung over the blade, and sometimes Rover joined in to hum with them, even though Pidge knew she didn't understand what the words meant. 

"Pidgeon." Matt called out. "Finish the verse, then stop. It's shaped."

Pidge nodded and finished the song, and stepped back from the greyish-blue sword. Veins of metal streaked through it, and it obviously wasn't as fine of a sword as Lance's or Shiro's or any of the others Matt or their father had made.

Pidge thought it was perfect. It was  _their's_.

"You have to polish it." Matt said, handing them a stone. "Sit outside and do it- you need the fresh air. Sing as you do it, otherwise it'll take weeks."

"Got it." Pidge nodded sharply, and got the sword from off the worktable, and held out their arm for Rover to hop onto and tuck herself into the hood behind Pidge's neck. Rover's scales were cold, and Pidge was grateful for the chill.

There was an old stump outside of the blacksmith workshop, and Pidge sat there to polish the sword, humming and singing in the Ancient Language. Pidge had already spent all of yesterday, and most of today on the sword, and was willing to spend as much time as they needed for the sword to be perfect and complete. 

However, they were interrupted by Keith and Lance, running up to them. Pidge cut off the song with a pout, and looked up at the two. "What?"

"Is Shiro here? Or Matt?" Lance asked.

"Shiro isn't here. And Matt's busy."

Keith frowned. "Why are you making a sword? A Rider's sword?" He paled. "Did Matt tell you? I bet he did, and I  _told_ him I didn't want one-"

"What? What would Matt tell me?" Pidge blinked. "The sword is for  _me_."

It sorta just slipped out.

Keith and Lance stared at them in amazement. " _You_? But- but if you're making a Dragon Rider's sword-"

Pidge sighed. "Come on out, Rover."

Rover poked her neck out from the hood of Pidge's shirt, and hopped onto their shoulder, giving a triumphant scream right in Pidge's ear. They winced. "Anyways, Keith, Lance, this is Rover. Rover, this is Keith and Lance."

Lance held out his hand. Rover sniffed it uncertainly. "Woah." He murmured. 

Pidge looked at Keith. "Why would the idea of you even needing a Rider's sword pop up unless-"

Keith set down his pack, and opened the top. "Nova, come out girl." He whispered. A small, dark red dragon hopped out, holding her head up like she was nobility. She chirped, and Rover hopped down from where she was sniffing Lance's hand and ran to Nova. 

"Neat." Pidge said, internally ecstatic. "Matt's inside, but he  _is_ busy. He's teaching me how to make my sword. Which..."

"You were doing before we interrupted." Lance finished. "Continue on, please. Keith come on, Pidge will watch the dragons."

Pidge said,  _hmph_ , and resumed their song, watching as Rover and Nova poked at each other and chirped and screamed.

-

"Matt?" Lance called. "Matt, are you here?"

"Coming!" He called, and he came out from a back room separated by a curtain. His hair and skin were streaked with ash just like Pidge was. "Lance, Keith! Shouldn't you be training?"

"Well, Shiro isn't there, and he never gave us a list of things to do if he wasn't there," Keith said.

"Caelum isn't there either, and he never mentioned anything. I'm worried," Lance said.

Matt put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. Shiro must have gotten held up at the meeting."

"What meeting?"

"War council," Matt said darkly, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees. Lance gulped as Matt continued. "I'm allowed to attend because of my relationship with Shiro, but I was helping Pidge with their sword, so I didn't... anyways, he, Allura, and a few of the leaders of the elven equivalent of nobility are planning what to do now that you're here. And, I guess, when I can inform Shiro about Pidge, them too."

"Is he telling them I'm a Rider?" Keith asked. 

Matt nodded. "Just so they know. It'll take Nova a while to be battle ready, but you're probably going to be right next to Lance in the front lines."

Keith nodded sharply. "And Pidge?"

"No. They're not ready for battle. And their skills are more useful literally anywhere else." 

"Got it." Lance said. "So... war. This is really happening."

"Guess so." Keith said.

Lance looked at the ground.  _I can do this. I can do this._

-

"You're actually joking, right?" Allura snapped. "You learn a  _dragon_ hatched yesterday, and you want to send her into battle?"

The elf lord she was arguing with balked, but stood his ground. "Your Majesty, I don't mean  _immediately_. But please see sense! Haggar and Zarkon have had a hundred or so years to become stronger, and as talented as I'm sure that human is, he will  _not_ defeat them on his own!"

"We might have to face Zarkon tomorrow for all we know." Shiro slammed a fist on the table in a completely rude way. Elves were usually the height of politeness- they lived forever, and couldn't afford to hold grudges. Shiro was too pissed for that. "Nova isn't going to be on the front lines. We won't even consider the possibility."

"What about her Rider?"

"Keith?" Shiro paused. He knew Keith  _could_ fight- but Keith was half human. Keith aged like a human. Shiro didn't want to loose his brother any sooner than he had to. But they'd butted heads before over Shiro being overprotective. Shiro had to let him go. "If he wants to fight, that's his business. But he won't take Nova in. Loosing a dragon is..."

On the edge of Shiro's consciousness, he could feel Caelum, murmuring soothing thoughts into the back of his head. "It's bad. Nova is too small."

"What of the yellow egg? Do we have any idea of it's current whereabouts?" An elf lady asked.

Allura sighed, rubbing her forehead. "No. We haven't received word from the heroes who went to save the yellow egg."

"We can only hope they're okay." Shiro added.

-

Hunk did not want to spend the day in a tree. But here he was, in a tree.

Goldenseal was crouched next to him, smoke billowing out of his nostrils when he saw a glimpse of the soldiers below. Hunk could see where Shay and Nyma were huddled together in a different tree. He had no idea where Coran was. 

He'd found Nyma and Shay shortly after ditching his attackers, right on the edge of the forest Hunk assumed was Du Weldenvarden. Without Coran, they had no way to find any one of the elf cities, and Hunk knew the wards around Ellesméra would prevent him from scrying or contacting anyone inside. Without Coran, their quest stopped here.

There quest would also stop if those soldiers looked up. Hunk was completely spent- he didn't have the energy to mask him and Gold from the soldiers again, much less Shay and Nyma. 

After an eternity, the soldiers left. No one had made a sound. The soldiers hadn't looked up. Hunk managed to breathe again.

Nyma hopped down first, and Shay followed her. Hunk jumped to the ground, and Goldenseal flew down in a a flash of yellow gold. "Where's Coran?" Shay panted.

Hunk shook his head. "I don't know."

"I'm not going in there without a guide." Nyma pointed into the forest. Hunk agreed with her- it was dangerous, and undoubtedly magic. One of the first rules of magic was that you don't mess with dangerous magic.

Shay kicked at the ground. "Let's set up camp here." She said. "Maybe then Coran will find us."

"Yah." Nyma said.

"That'll work." Hunk nodded.

_Coran, we need to tell the elves that the Varden is in danger, so unless you've gone ahead to tell them, you better hurry up._

-

"The Blood-Oath Celebration is tomorrow." Keith said on the way to the training grounds.

"It is?" Lance startled. Leave it to him to leave his art project to the last second. "Oh, crap."

"You'll be fine." Keith said as they both were blocking the edge of their blades so they wouldn't hurt each other in their duel. "Now come on, attack me."

Lance and Keith had started many duels like this- staring at each other, weapons up. Usually Lance stuck first, impatient. This time, he was content to let Keith start.

Keith did attack first, his knife a flash of silver. Lance blocked, and retaliated with a swipe to the leg. Keith jumped back and attacked again.

Lance felt different. He felt calmer, he felt more capable. He was blocking all of Keith's blows, even as Keith blocked all of his, and this had been their longest duel yet.

On impulse, Lance stabbed forward, and Keith was caught slightly off guard. Lance yelled a battle cry and disarmed him. 

Lance didn't realize he had Aeternitas pointed at Keith's neck for a few seconds. He blinked. Keith was smiling at him brilliantly. "I concede." Keith said. "You win, now let me go."

"Yah." Lance said, breathing a little shaky. A grin started to creep over his face. "I won?"

"You won. Toss me my knife?"

-

Lance sat in his tree house later that night, the light still on, staring at a sheet of paper. Slowly, he got out a slab of stone that Shiro had given him, telling him it was a fairth. The stone was set with pigments, and Lance knew the incantation to make the pigments come to the surface and form a picture of his choosing.

 _Do it._ Blue said.

_But what do I focus on? And I mean, it's just a fairth. Won't it be plain?_

_You're plain. That's what I like about you. You act showy and cocky, but beneath it all you're a very simple person Lance._

_Gee, thanks._ Lance thought.  _I do have an idea, though._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is witchlightsands and im the second recommended blog when you search lloyd garmadon


	14. A Deal is a Deal

Shiny. The forest was shining.

A werelight was tucked away in the branches of a tree Lance was told was special but couldn't remember the name of. Queen Allura had placed it there, and the Agaetí Blödhren was to last as long as the werelight glowed. So now the forest was shining, and alive.

Pidge presented her sword as her gift, in glimmering shades of green. Caelum had carved a statue of a tree out of rock, and Shiro read a poem he had written. Keith presented his painting of the ocean. Blue presented her melded together antlers, and lit them on fire. That got a few oohs and aahs.

Lance presented his fairth of Ellesméra, with Keith in the frame. The light in the fairth created soft shadows. Lance hoped it showed exactly how he'd felt when he'd first come across the city. And maybe, in a more subtle way, it showed how he felt about Keith. Keith was standing in the brightest part of the fairth, and even if his face wasn't showing, Lance was proud of it.

Lance spun in circles surrounded by elves and music that came from magical instruments. Many of the instruments weren't magic, played skillfully by elves. Lance laughed as he spun around.

Blue was resting at the edge of the dancing, humming along and answering the riddles of any elf who came before her- Lance could hear her conversations buzzing in the back of his head, but he didn't pry. Caelum and Shiro stayed close together, even as Shiro and Matt danced under the shining forest.

There was more than one werelight- many were suspended in midair. Lance had reached out to touch a few, and thus far remained unsuccessful. Eventually, as he was resting on the roots of a great oak tree, Keith came up to him with a soft smile and offered him his hand. "Dance with me." He said.

Lance took his hand, and they danced.

"You beat me," Keith commented. "In sword fighting, yesterday."

"Yah." Lance smiled. "And?"

"Come on." Keith led him away from the crowd, deeper into the forest. Blue werelights floated all around them. Lance laughed, and Keith turned back to face him, and he laughed too.

"A deal's a deal," Keith said.

"Wha-  _oh_." And Lance stopped talking as Keith kissed him.

_If I win, you have to kiss me._

_Deal._

Lance had forgotten all about that encounter. But he was more than happy to kiss Keith, with the werelights shining as if just for them.

Eventually, they broke apart and Lance pressed his forehead against Keith's. "You know, that deal wasn't binding."

"I know. I wanted to."

Lance smiled widely. "We just-" he broke off into a laugh. "Oh, God, we just kissed."

Keith started laughing too. "Yah, yah we did."

"Let's do that again."

"Alright."

By the time the werelight wore out and the Agaetí Blödhren came to a close, Lance could only remember scattered bits of it. Obviously, kissing Keith was something he remembered  _very_ well, but everything else was pretty fuzzy.

 _Did you have fun?_ Blue asked him. He hummed in response.

-

Hunk scratched the back of Goldenseal's neck. "Coran's been gone for a while."

"I'm not wandering around a magic forest without a guide," Nyma said firmly, crossing her arms. 

"Well, then you're in luck!" Coran strolled into their camp, grinning. The three teens immediately ran to him- Shay hugged him, Nyma punched his shoulder, and Hunk started asking questions. 

"Where the hell were you?" Was the first one he demanded. "Why are you covered in blood?"

Coran shrugged. "I wanted to make sure those soldiers left. They found an elf city. It got... messy. But they won't be bothering us again. Now, come on, Ellesméra is a half night's travel away if you're quick, which we are."

"We have to get going." Hunk gestured for Goldenseal to jump down from the tree he had climbed up. "We have time sensitive information! Why have we delayed as long as we have!"

"We're going as fast as we can, Hunk." Coran attempted to calm him down.

"Rolo is with the Varden," Nyma insisted. "We need to be going, and quick."

"Then let's go." Coran ran off into the trees.

Goldenseal nudged Hunk's arm.  _Fly with me, Hunk?_

 _The trees are too thick, Gold._ Hunk sighed in reply.  _I bet once we get to Ellesméra there'll be enough space to fly. Or we could fly on the way to the Varden._

 _Alright._ Goldenseal made a rumbling noise in his throat, and ran after the others.

Coran was right- by the time they got to Ellesméra, it was about midnight. Coran hadn't been affected by the hours long run, and Nyma only looked a little winded, but neither of them were entirely human. Hunk could barely stay on his feet, and Shay had to lean against Goldenseal to keep upright. 

"I'll go find the Queen." Coran said before running off. Hunk barely had time to nod before he was gone.

"Elves," Shay panted. "Too fast."

"Enhanced reflexes." Nyma shook her head.

"I know  _why_. Doesn't make them. Less annoying." Shay straightened up. "Are we allowed to look around?"

Hunk looked around, and took a moment to take in the scenery. Were the houses actually in the trees? The streets were wide enough for a dragon, and Hunk could feel Goldenseal's pleasure at that. 

"Who's there?" Someone called out, and Hunk looked up into a tree house as someone holding a light in there hand stepped out. He blinked and let his eyes adjust. "Lance?" He called up.

"Hunk?" The person jumped down the stairs two or three at a time, and Hunk saw that he'd heard right, and it was Lance. "Hunk! You made it! And... you have a dragon."

"Lance, this is Goldenseal. Goldenseal, Lance." Hunk gestured between the two.

Goldenseal sniffed Lance's hair.  _Hello._

"Lance, we really have something important to tell you," Hunk said. "The Empire is preparing to attack the Varden."

Lance's eyes went wide. "How long ago did you get this information?"

"A few days." Nyma stepped forward. "We've had a few... delays."

Lance shook his head. "What if it's too late by now?" He whispered.

"We have to at least try!" Hunk insisted.

"I know that." Lance looked like he was deep in thought. "You haven't met Shiro. You really need to meet Shiro."

"Who's Shiro? Why do I care?" Hunk asked.

"He's a Dragon Rider."

"There aren't any Dragon Riders," Hunk said immediately. "Just you, and now me."

"And Shiro. His dragon is  _huge_ , they've been hiding in Du Weldenvarden for years." Lance waved his arms as he talked, and his magical light followed his hand. 

Hunk frowned. "Why were they hiding?"

"So they could be a surprise against Zarkon. Like, you thought you killed us? Bitch think again!" Lance grinned. "And, you can't really tell anyone else, but Keith and I rescued the red dragon egg, and she hatched for Keith. And there's this elf who goes by Pidge, she found the green egg and ah, that hatched too."

Shay blinked. "So... there are actually five dragons now? Six, if you include Haggar."

"Which we don't," Lance said. "But we have five dragons on our side now!"

"You seem overly optimistic. How old are the red and green dragons?"

"A few days. But it's not like we're going to face Zarkon tomorrow, right?"

"The Varden is about to be under attack, if it isn't already!"

Lance lowered his head slightly. Hunk put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, man. It's okay."

"Yah." Lance looked around. "Where's Coran?"

"He went to tell the Queen what was happening," Hunk yawned.

"You guys look exhausted," Lance commented. "Come inside, get some sleep. You look like you're about to fall down."

"Thank you." Hunk smiled.

-

Keith and Nova were having a staring contest. Keith was pretty sure he was winning, but he wasn't sure.

While they were having this staring contest, Keith was practicing reaching out and talking to her with his mind.

 _Nova,_ he thought, _Nova, answer me._

 _No._ She responded, and Keith almost regretted teaching her the word. 

The thing was she  _had_ responded to his first questions, in a flash of feelings and a few scattered words. Then, for some reason, she decided a staring contest and a stubborn refusal to answer was more fun. And it probably was- to her.

There was a knock on his door. Keith sat up, rubbing his eyes and blinking. He could feel Nova's slight pride at that. 

"Keith?" It was Shiro. 

Keith opened the door. "What's up? It's the middle of the night."

"Coran, a werecat, and two humans just walked into Elesméra." Shiro stepped inside. "One of the humans is a Rider."

"So between me, Lance, Pidge and... either Shay or Hunk, all the lost eggs have hatched?"

Shiro just nodded. "And there's some bad news. Coran just finished speaking to Allura, who reported directly to me. The Empire is planning to attack the Varden. They're mobilizing."

Keith's eyes widened. Nova hopped down from his bed and wound herself around his feet, curiously and tentatively asking why he was upset. "How much time do we have?"

"We don't know. Lance and Blue leave at dawn."

"And I guess you're here to say I can't go?" Keith smarted. 

"I'm here because Lance asked if you could join him," Shiro said bluntly. "He doesn't know how to find the Varden, both he and Blue are familiar with you, and he likes you. He wants you to be with him, I'm just the messenger. Just... if you decide to go, stay safe."

Keith blinked. "I will. What about Nova? She's just a few days old, I can't take her into battle."

"She can come with you, but you have to stay with her. Don't let anything happen to your dragon, you'll regret it." Shiro rubbed his metal arm. Keith knew he was thinking about when Caelum lost their leg- Shiro could feel their pain, and they could feel his. 

Keith picked up Nova and held her to his chest. "We'll be careful."

"Keith... you have a human life span," Shiro said. 

"I know, Shiro." Keith sighed. "I never knew my dad, you just gave me his knife."

"Your father is alive, to my knowledge. He's in the Varden."

Keith blinked. "What?"

"If you want to find him, ask for Thace."

"I-I will. Thank you."

Shiro smiled and messed up Keith's hair. "Come on, I have to give Pidge and Hunk some crash course in being a Dragon Rider. You and Lance have to go, but we have to hold them back a little longer."

"I'll get ready." Keith shoved Shiro off of him. "See ya soon."

-

Lance hopped up and down on his toes. The sun in the east was about to come up, and they didn't have much time. "Keith, don't be late. Not today."

Blue raised her head. _I smell him_. 

"Lance!" Keith ran up to him, wearing the pack he used to carry Nova. The pack must have had actual things in it, because Nova was draped over his shoulders like a scarf. "Shiro told me."

"Then you know we have to get going, now." Lance hopped up onto Blue, and offered a hand to Keith. "I may be in a hurry, but I'm a gentleman."

Keith just rolled his eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is witchlightsands and i made an art for this chapter!
> 
> also solonthewind drew blue, caelum, rover, and nova and i cried so go like and rb those!!


	15. The Varden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hate writing something as long as tale without being on a computer so months later here we are

Keith had one arm wrapped around Lance's waist, and the other hugging Nova to his chest. "What if we get there and it's too late?"

"I highly doubt we're too late." Lance pointed. "Can you see down there?"

Keith squinted, his grip on Lance's waist tightening, and looked at the figures on the edge of the desert they were flying over. "Is that... that's the army."

"I don't think they're looking up, we're fine."

An arrow flew past Blue's wing. She snorted, and Lance was silent for a few moments, but his facial expressions revealed he was talking to Blue. "We're gonna dive!" He yelled the moment before they dived.

Keith leaned forward, holding onto Lance for dear life as Blue did her arial tricks, burying his face in Lance's shoulder and effectively squishing Nova in a Lance-and-Keith sandwich. She squeaked, and protested to Keith, _no!_

Blue swooped over the army, and Keith heard a  _crunch_. "What happened?" He yelled in Lance's ear, not daring to look back.

Lance laughed back as they flew into the sky. "They had a siege canon!"

"Then why are you laugh-" Keith felt the grin creeping up on his face. "Blue, you broke it, didn't you?"

 _I did_ , she responded proudly. 

Keith laughed. "That's amazing!"

More arrows flew by them. Lance tensed. "Blue, let's go. Now. Keith, hold on! We're about to do a lot more fancy flying!"

Blue flew almost vertically upward, and Keith felt a sharp coldness as they flew through one of the low floating morning-before-dawn clouds. He shook his head, his hair now wet. He held his dragon closer to him, and asked her one of the first things he'd taught her.  _Nova, you okay?_

 _Maybe._ She sent him the feeling of her discomfort at being wet and cold. Keith panicked. She was just a baby dragon. Could baby dragons get sick from being cold and wet? Hell, what if he and Lance got sick from being cold and wet?

Muttering a spell under his breath, he cast a spell to dry them off and keep them dry. "We have to loose them before dawn, or we're dead!" Lance yelled over the noise of the wind and air and flight. 

Keith tried to think. He'd only come to the Varden this way a couple times, and never under pursuit, much less an army of a pursuit. The Beor Mountains had been visible for a while, and Keith recognized them now as close enough to get to in half a day by walking. He wondered how fast it would take by dragon back.

"I know a pass in the mountains were we can loose them, and get to the Varden with no delay. But we have to get to the mountains before sunrise."

Lance frowned, his mouth turning into a pout, and looked at the grey skyline. "Think you can do it, Blue?"

 _I can make it_.

-

"It is not sunrise. I refuse to  _exist_ in a state of consciousness before sunrise." Pidge flopped over and groaned into her pillow. 

"Come on," Matt insisted. "Don't you want to surprise Hunk with a weapon?"

"No one wants to do that but you. We don't even know what kind of weapon he wants." Pidge sat up, and leaned over to scratch Rover where she would usually scratch a dog behind the ears. "I want to go back to sleep."

"Or, or, if you don't want to help me make a sword-"

"I do! Just not right  _now_!"

"-maybe you can go train with Shiro. Or bond with Rover some. Don't you want to teach her to speak?"

"Rover is sleeping. Let my tiny dragon sleep."

Rover yawned and stretched, slinking over to lay in Pidge's lap. Matt raised an eyebrow. "Get something to eat, and get to training."

"You woke her up." Pidge scooped up Rover in her arms and dragged herself to the pantry to scrounge up some bread or something. Rover yawned and gulped down some jerky. 

"Shiro probably isn't going to be up, you know," Pidge commented. "Without you there to wake him up before dawn, he sleeps in."

"Then get some quiet with Rover. I'm going to forge armor, and it's going to be noisy."

"Armor?"

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think we'll need it?"

Pidge nodded and walked out the door.  _Come on, Rover. I'm going to practice my magic, and you're going to learn some words._

Rover blinked at her uncomprehensively, tilting her head, and giving her usual response- a small yell. Pidge smiled at her.  _I love you_.

-

_We're going to crash._

Blue informed him of this fact so calmly, but Lance could sense that she was upset about it. "Brace for impact!" He yelled for Keith's benefit.

Blue took a sharp turn to the left, and her injured wing gave out as they tumbled through the pass Keith had told them about. Blue rolled with the impact, doing her best to keep her passengers safe. Eventually, she skittered to a stop.

Lance jumped off and ran to her wing, that had been pierced by an arrow. _Are you okay, thank you, I'm sorry, I'll fix this, you did so great,_ and other such sentiments flooded through Lance's mind as he examined the wound.

"We lost them." Keith hopped down from Blue's back, and walked over to where Lance was. "She got hit?"

"Yah." Lance realized his voice was rough. 

"I didn't know." Keith hugged Nova closer to him.

"You couldn't have," Lance replied, not looking up. "It's fine. I'm going to fix her."

 _You're lucky. It went all the way through,_ Lance said to Blue, his hand hesitantly hovering over the arrow.

 _Lucky?_ She had a bit of a growl in her voice.

_I don't have to push it through to get it out. I can just do this._

Lance broke the arrow in two, and threw the pieces away. Blue's tail lashed out as he touched the arrow, but otherwise she was still. Lance muttered the healing spell and stepped back.  _You okay now? Are you alright?_

 _I'm fine, little human._ Blue flexed her wing.  _Alright, back on._

"She wants to get going." Lance frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Does she think she can do it?"

 _Lance, I'm fine now. Tired and sore, but not in pain._ She butted her nose against his shoulder.  _We do need to get going._

"That army is way too close. Not nearly as close as we are, because we're going by dragon-back. But closer than I like. We  _need_ to get going to the Varden."

Lance frowned.  _Blue, are you sure?_

_I'll tell you if I'm not._

"Then let's get going." Lance crawled onto Blue's back and helped Keith up. "Lead the way."

Keith set his chin on Lance's shoulder. "Forward."

They traveled in silence for a few minutes, Keith occasionally calling out directions softly in Lance's ear, when Lance blurted, "we haven't talked."

"If you want to, we can talk."

Lance turned red and hoped Keith couldn't see that. "No, I, uh, meant, about what happened at the Agaetí Blödhren."

"Oh. Oh."

"Yah." Lance traced a scale on Blue's neck. 

"Oh," Keith repeated. 

"Like, were we just messing around? Just, ya know, having fun?"

"What? No! No, no no, I, uh." Keith leaned back, and Lance turned around to see him spluttering and rubbing the back of his neck. "Hell, I'm so bad at this. No. To what you said. No."

"Then what was it?"

"Um." 

Lance sighed and turned around. "Yah, it's fine."

"Wait... Lance..."

"Which way to the Varden?"

Keith sighed. "Almost there. When we get to the lake, I'll get us entry."

Keith didn't settle back into his position with his chin on Lance's shoulder, and he didn't wrap his arms around Lance's waist to steady himself on Blue, just holding onto the saddle.

-

"There it is. Kóstha-mérna." Keith pointed at the glittering blue lake. "I'll go... say the code."

"Okay." Lance's voice was small as Keith jumped off of Blue. He looked around at the mountains towering over him, and the expectation of meeting the Varden, and suddenly he felt very, very small.

Keith banged a rock against another rock, and said something in rapid fire Ancient Language that Lance couldn't follow- something about Riders and entry -and stepped back. "Over here," he called. 

"Come on, Blue." Lance jumped to the ground. 

There was a passage opening in the rock, and two men stood in the doorway. "A Dragon Rider," one whispered, bowing. 

"That's me." Lance waved, showing his palm.

The other man looked at Keith. "An egg has hatched?"

"Actually, four. The others are in Ellesméra. We came to warn you. There's an army approaching you."

"We know," he sighed. 

"No, you don't understand. We flew over it on the way here. You can't possibly fight them off. You have to flee."

"We can handle two hundred men."

"Your intel is wrong. The force we flew over was at least twenty thousand," Keith insisted. 

The guy blinked. "Oh."

"They outnumber you over ten to one. You need to run."

"We can't," the other said. "They have us surrounded. We've been trying to relocate for the past three days, but all our scouts-"

"Got it," Lance interrupted. "Can't fight, can't flight. What does that leave us?"

"Take us to your leader," Keith said, standing up straighter. 

The two men nodded. "This way," the first one said. "Kolivian will want to meet you."

Lance and Keith hung back. "You didn't tell them you were a Rider," Lance muttered.

Keith shrugged. "They don't need to know. And Nova is too small to help in any way, so I think it'd be best to keep her hidden. Keep her safe."

On cue, Nova poked her head out of Keith's bag. He seemed to be having a loosing conversation with her, but he closed the sack to hide her when one of the men- Antok -turned around to look at him. "What are we waiting for?" Keith demanded.

"Sorry." Antok turned back around, and led them through the mountain and past a door. "Welcome to Tronjhiem, the city of Farthen Dûr."

It was a city inside a mountain. 

There were streets, with people on them. And houses. And at the top of the spiral of the mountain, was a giant red-pink rose, giant and sparkling."

Lance looked around, mystified. Keith was looking at him with a funny expression- and expression Lance had seen before, he swore, but couldn't place. He turned to Blue.  _A city! In a mountain!_

"The dwarves built it," Keith said. Lance looked at him, and he shrugged. "You're always curious. You were going to ask, so I answered for you. Dwarves really are incredible architects with stone. Elves prefer to work with wood and trees."

"I've seen," Lance commented. "What's that giant rose in the middle?"

Keith smiled. "Ah, yes. The Star Sapphire. The dwarves love it. Look, it's shaped like a blooming rose." Keith took his hand as he pointed.

"You sound like you like it, too."

"It's the closest thing this place has to nature."

Antok and his partner Ulaz led them to a door made of stone, and knocked. It swung open to show a man sitting at a plain wood desk.

Kolivian was tall, with dark skin, and dark eyes that Lance felt were analyzing his threat level. He kind of hoped he was at least a seven on a scale of one to ten.

"Antok, Ulaz. Leave us." He had the voice of a leader. (When did Lance start recognizing when voices were leaderly?)

"Yes, sir." They bowed, and left. The door shut behind them with a _clang_.

Kolivian leaned forward. "A Dragon Rider finally graces the halls of Farthen Dûr for the first time since Zarkon took over. Amazing."

"My name is Lance." Lance's voice was annoyingly squeaking. Why was it squeaky? How dare it. "This is Blue."

Blue snorted. Lance turned to Keith. "And this is-"

"The egg carrier, Keith Shirogane, of course. We thought you had died."

"I'm not dead." Keith did jazz hands. "Tada."

Lance snorted.

Kolivian smiled slightly. "Of course. But we're not here to catch up."

"I think we should get the leaders of the Varden out," Keith said. "That includes you."

"My life is not more important than the lives of my men-" Kolivian started, but Keith glared at him and he shut up.

"Zarkon will target leaders first. Rebellions are started by the people who have the drive to get others to follow them for change. Take out a leader, more often than not you leave people who want change aimless." Keith took out his knife and started carving shapes in Kolivian's table. "We get the leaders to safety first, in a different location from the others, and we all bolt to Arus."

"Their king has welcomed us if we can make it there," Kolivian said. 

"Good. We're here to help. Maybe Blue could take out any small children you have?"

"We only have a few. Ten, last I checked."

"Ten is a nice round number. So, we get the leaders, the children and their families out, and everyone who is able to fight is going to have to fight their way out. Can everyone here fight?"

"Anyone who isn't a child, yes. The elderly leave of their own accord when they feel ready."

"Whelp, that's convenient." Keith stuck his knife in the table. "We can finalize details later. For now, I want to see someone."

Kolivian blinked. "Who?"

"Where is Thace?"

-

"They seem scared of you," Lance said once they were in the dragon hold, a cave above the city and by Isidar Mithrim. Lance had been wonderingly staring at the giant rose and the city below, curled up next to Blue.

Keith was startled at first. "Who's scared of who?"

"The Varden is scared of you."

"Oh. Well, they're not exactly experts on elves. So I... put them on edge. Plus, they think I'm older than I am. Most people don't know I'm half human."

"Okay." Lance looked back at the Star Sapphire. "So, Thace. Why do you want to see him?"

"He's my dad," Keith said, and surprised himself. "He probably won't recognize me."

"But you'll get to meet him when he gets back from his scouting mission, so there's that."

"Yah." Keith hugged his knees to his chest.

The thing about Lance was that he asked simple questions that always made Keith have to think.

"What are we going to do to save these people?"

"I don't know."

"What if we can't?"

"We'll go down trying," Keith responded firmly.

Lance scooted over to him. "You never told me what it was."

Keith balked. Feelings, he was bad at. He wanted to be good at them for Lance, but he wasn't. But he managed to say, "something."

"Something?"

"Yah."

"What does that something entail?"

"I don't know. I've never done something."

"It's okay. We can figure it out."

"I'd like that."

Lance leaned over and kissed him, tangling his hands in Keith's hair. Keith kissed him back and pressed closer, feeling like that's where he was meant to be.

-

"Dragon Rider?" Someone said hesitantly.

Lance blinked, waking up to light. He groaned and sat up. A boy his age, maybe younger, was awkwardly standing by Blue. "Dragon Rider, the scouts have returned. You and Keith Shirogane are needed to discuss escape and battle tactics. Also, um, Keith wanted to see Thace?"

"Oh, uh, yah." Lance pushed his hair out of his face and poked Keith, who was laying next to him, in the shoulder. Keith bolted upwards, his hand going for his knife. "What? Are we under attack?"

"No, we're fine, come on, scouts are back." Lance smiled and nodded to the messenger. "We'll be right down. As soon as Keith puts a shirt on."

Keith scowled and pushed Lance into Blue's wing. Blue snorted. 

Two minutes later, Blue was flying them down to the city level. "What are you going to say when you meet him?" Lance asked.

"I don't know." Keith responded. Lance shrugged and let it be.

Blue landed on the stone ground in front of Kolivian, dressed in full armor, with several people Lance assumed were the scouts surrounding him. "We came as soon as we could." 

Kolivian's expression was grave. "We are in danger."

"No kidding." Keith rolled his eyes. 

"Troops were spotted within five miles of Kóstha-mérna," one of the scouts said, a man with light brown skin and a grey goatee. "We are completely surrounded on all sides, sir."

"Uh..." Keith rubbed his head, and Nova poked her head out of the sack on his back. Lance saw and tried to motion for her to duck. "Are you sure there's no way we can sneak out? I know a hidden route that leads to Tarnag..."

"They have spies on the lake. They will attack when they are ready, and they will not let anyone escape in the meantime. We would never make it to your route unscathed."

"Oh, come on. Do you have a map?" Keith reached for a map, and Nova had stuck her entire upper body out of the bag. Lance was making desperate  _cut it out_ motions.

"Is something wrong?" Kolivian asked.

"What? Oh, no!" Lance laughed nervously. 

The scout squinted at him before turning back to Keith. "Well, in any case, they have archers and catapults aimed to the sky. Flying anyone out isn't an option."

"The dwarves have tunnels through out the mountains, maybe we could-"

Nova experimentally stuck out a wing. Lance panicked and grabbed Keith by the shirt mid sentence and kissed him. Keith made a muffled  _mmph!_ Lance shoved Nova down into Keith's bag, and she gave a slight squeak, that Keith accidentally covered up with a squeak of his own.

Lance drew away and faced the baffled people of the Varden, who had probably thought he was taking this seriously. (He was!) "Sorry, just needed to..." 

Idea.

"A distraction," Lance whispered.

"What?" Keith asked.

"That's it! If we can make a distraction big enough, we can sneak everyone out. Me and Blue are  _very_ distracting."

Kolivian stroked his beard. "That might work."

"It'd have to be small groups," the scout warned. "How distracting are you?"

 _I just distracted all of you from seeing Keith's dragon, so, I'd say I'm pretty distracting_. Out loud, Lance said, "as much as I need to be. What's the largest group you could manage?"

"No more than fifty."

"Make it a hundred," Keith pushed the scout's map back at him. "We don't have time to loose. I can show you the route to Tarnag. It's hidden, and if we can keep them from seeing us-"

"Do you have any magicians?" Lance asked Kolivian. "They can help hide your people."

"A few, but they're not near the strength of Zarkon's."

"Speaking of him, what general do you think he sent? Do you think we're worthy of Prorok?" 

"I don't know-" Kolivian started, and was interrupted by a fanfare. Keith stumbled away from the group. The scout gaped at the sky. "Battle trumpets. They're going to attack."

"The troops are ready! Antok will lead them! Thace-"

"Thace?" Keith choked. The scout turned to look at him. "Yes?"

"Oh."

Thace seemed to not have time for that. "Kolivian, I will ready the troops."

"No!" Lance shouted. "You have to get to safety!"

Thace looked at him. "What?"

"Let me guess, you're leader of the scouts?"

"And spies."

"What if Zarkon captures you? Or kills you? You need to get to safety with Kolivian."

"I don't leave without Antok," Kolivian said firmly.

"Fine, get someone else to lead your armies! You, Thace, and Antok. Keith will be leading you to Tarnag first."

"So we can hide while our comrades die?" Kolivian challenged.

Lance thought of an excuse quickly. "So you can lead them. You'd be the three most accustomed to leading, I'd assume. And your people would trust you. Get the civilians out, to Tarnag. Then if it's not over you can come and fight, alright?"

Kolivian seemed to be considering. "Alright. We'll do it your way. I have to inform Antok, and prepare Ulaz to lead the troops. Thace, round up the men. The rest of you, go!"

Lance looked at Keith, who was leaning against Blue. "That fanfare is not just battle trumpets," he whispered. "It's an announcement."

“What’s with the fanfare?” Lance asked, walking up to Keith, who looked paler than usual.

“The Varden is under attack from Zarkon’s forces, and royalty is leading the army.”

Lance resisted the urge to run away. “Zarkon hasn’t left Uru'baen for decades-”

“Not Zarkon. Lotor.”

That might have been worse. “God help us all.” Lance whispered. He turned to Keith. “Nova is too small for battle, you have to get Antok, Kolivian, and Thace out of here.” “Where are you going?”

“I have to slow him down and give you time to escape!” Lance yelled as he jumped onto Blue. _Let’s go girl._

- 

Zarkon was evil, without a doubt. Lance never wanted to be accused of seeing him as anything other than completely irredeemable.

But at least he was an efficient evil. If he’d been in the charge, he’d go straight for the leaders of the Varden, only killing as many as he needed to reach his goal, no remorse, no distractions. 

Lotor was unpredictable, and he wouldn’t stop until they were all dead.

 _Which one is he?_  Lance wondered, when a voice (it must have been enhanced by magic) yelled up to him. “Dragon Rider! Face me!" 

 _That one,_  Blue huffed. _The one with the white hair, leading the front lines. Should I go down?_

 _Yes, but don’t land._ Lance needed to  _distract._

"So, you’re the one who’s been causing all this trouble.” Lotor yelled up at Lance. Lance tried to calm himself down. _I have the high ground, and I have a dragon._ He was pretty sure they wouldn't shoot him out of the sky. Yet. 

"My father is anxious to meet you!“ 

"Not happening, Pronce Lotad!”

Lotor drew his sword. “Fight me, face to face!”

Lance jumped down, sword in hand.  _Lance,_  Blue warned him. _This is not what Shiro would suggest. This is foolhardy._  

 _I’ll be careful,_  He promised. _Just let me focus._

 _Kick his ass,_  Blue said, and severed their connection. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SEASON 3 IS ALMOST HERE I CANT WAIT TO HAVE MY DREAMS CRUSHED AND SEE WHAT THEORIES I WAS TOTALLY RIGHT ON GIVE ME THAT SWEET CANON KLANCE
> 
> my tumblr is witchlightsands and i can write like a thousand plus words in one sitting but it takes me two months to work up the energy to write


	16. Sacrificing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> season three?? watered all my crops. thats all im gonna say here.
> 
> in the meantime, take this

Keith ushered a group of children forward. "Come on," he whispered. "Onto Tarnag."

"I've never seen this pass before," Thace said. "How did you find it."

"Fell into it," Keith almost laughed at the memory. "Followed it, lead me right to here. Left the same way, ended up in Tarnag."

"What a stroke of luck."

"I broke my ankle and couldn't move for half a day because I had no energy for a healing spell, and I couldn't reach my bag to make sure the egg wasn't broken. It was terrifying."

"You get scared?"

Keith blinked. "You thought I didn't?"

Thace looked bashful. "I'll admit... from what I've seen from you, I thought you had magically edited out the emotion."

 _My dad thinks I'm a hundred years old and that I don't feel the emotion fear._ _Great,_  Keith sighed. "Actually, I'm scared right now."

"Of what?"

"That Lance will get hurt. That someone will get hurt. That we can't get everyone out in time. I'm scared of telling you I think you're my dad."

Thace blinked. "What?"

"You always assumed I was older, but I'm sixteen. Like, actually sixteen. Half human. And the human half is you?"

Thace looked shocked. 

Keith turned away and adjusted his pack. "Whatever. Come on, we have to get everyone out of Farthen Dûr, Lance can't hold them back forever."

"I'm sure he's doing great."

-

Lance did not, in fact, kick Lotor’s ass. 

He got in one good punch, right at the beginning, square on the jaw, but apart from that he wasn’t doing too well. Lotor was as good at swordplay as Keith, and Lotor was not as nice as Keith.

Lance was loosing, and badly. The soldiers Lotor brought with him were surrounding Blue, despite her efforts to ward them off. He looked at her desperately, and she returned the look. 

"Blue! Run! Find Keith!“ He begged as he barely blocked one of Lotor’s strikes. 

"Go and you cannot ensure the safety of your Rider!” Lotor yelled at her. 

"Blue, run.“ Lance cried out, and Blue gave a wailing roar, sweeping her tail around her to knock the soldiers away and clear room for her wings to take off.

She disappeared into the sky. "No!” Lotor yelled, and Lance’s sword was knocked away from him. “Call her back.” He hissed, holding a blade to Lance’s neck. 

"You will never touch my Blue.“ Lance spat in his face and stepped on his foot. That just made him madder. Worth it.

Lotor cursed and shoved Lance to the nearest soldier, and despite Lance’s struggles he couldn’t escape. "Don’t take me to Uru'baen! Don’t take me to Zarkon! He’ll kill me!” He cried out. _I didn’t think this whole getting captured thing through!_

"He won’t kill you.“ Lotor hissed. "Only show you his vision. And what a glorious vision it is." 

Lance struggled as he was dragged away. He noticed several things.

One, Lotor hadn’t sheathed his sword. It was still pointed at him. 

Two, the soldier holding him couldn’t hold his feet. 

Three, this soldier was wearing sandals, not heavy boots like Lance. 

With this information in mind, Lance took a deep breath, and stepped on the soldier’s foot. 

The soldier yowled and let him go, and Lance threw himself on Lotor’s sword. It hit his arm and part of the scar from Sendak. 

There was yelling, and Lance blacked out.

-

Keith was on the way back from the third trip to Tarnag when Blue flew through the mountain, yowling in pain and grief. Keith's heart froze up.

"Blue!" he called out and she flew down. She flopped down, and pushed her head into his chest. Keith hugged her neck. "It's okay, it's okay..."

 _Lance let himself get captured so I could get free,_ Blue moaned. 

"Is he okay?" Keith whispered.

 _Hurt. He's hurt._ Blue yowled again, and Keith felt her sorrow rippling off her in waves.

"Sh, sh, it's okay, we can still get to him. Is he still nearby?"

Blue didn't respond with words, but sent Keith a mental image of where they had been when Blue left. Keith got the feeling she meant he hadn't moved.

"Blue, he's alive, right?"

 _He's_ hurt _, Keith_ , Blue flared out her wings, scratching the side of a nearby building.

"Sh, sh, I'm going to go save him, okay?" Keith promised. 

Blue looked at him with huge blue eyes. Keith's throat dried up, but he said, "I promise. I'll save Lance."

Keith started to run to the gates, where the armies had met in a skirmish. In his bag, Nova squeaked.  _Me? Help? Help pretty-boy-with-stars-for-eyes?_

Keith froze.  _No_ , he said.  _No, you're too small._

He looked around, a hand on the strap of his bag.  _Place to put Nova... place to put Nova... someone to hold Nova..._

"Keith? Are you coming?" Thace stepped up to him. "The next group is ready to leave."

Keith turned and stared at his father- his  _father_ -with wide eyes.

"Did... something happen to Lance? Is that why Blue was upset?"

Keith nodded, and took off his pack. "Look... you're the only one I trust here. If you betray that trust, I will not hesitate to cut you down where you stand with every piece of magic in my body."

Thace gulped. Keith handed him his most prized possession- the bag that contained his dragon. "Do not purposefully look at the contents of this bag. If you find out by accident,  _tell no one_."

"Son?"

Keith's heart skipped a beat. "Yes?"

"I'll guard this bag with my life. Go save your Lance."

Keith nodded and ran out the door.

-

The Empire and the Varden were engaged in combat right outside the city gates. Keith fought his way through the fray, barely able to hear his thoughts over the clang of swords, and the danger of stray arrows.

A Galra soldier, dressed in black and purple, attacked him. Keith growled and within two seconds, had his knife at the man's throat. "Where is Lotor?" Find the most dangerous person on the battlefield, find Lance.

The man paled. "Down by the lake. That way!" He screamed. Keith let him go, and ran to the lake. 

Lance was lying by the shore, motionless. Keith's blood ran cold. There were ten or so soldiers around him, with a man in fancier armor and long white hair kneeling beside Lance like he was casting a spell. By the time he looked up to see what the commotion was about, half of his men were dead.

Keith pointed his knife at him. "Drop your weapons and step away from him," he commanded. The soldiers kept their swords pointed at him while their general drew his. Keith refused to break eye contact with Lotor as he threw the sword on the ground.

"Do as he says," Lotor commanded. He smiled at Keith and stepped forward, hands in the air. "Who are you, elf?"

Keith narrowed his eyes. "I am Keith Shirogane."

Lotor blinked. "Shirogane? Powerful name. Let me guess- Takashi Shirogane was your brother? My father told me about Shiro. He was weak."

"Get away from Lance. Now."

"He did this to himself. I was trying to heal him, but his wards are tricky to get around. Care to try?"

Keith knew about Lance's wards- the personal magic shields keeping enemy magicians from casting spells on him. Keith had automatic permission to bypass them whenever he needed to. Keith warily took a step towards Lance, then bolted to his side. 

Lance was bleeding from his side and arm. Keith put a hand on the wound. "Waíse heill," he muttered, and the gash started to close up. Lance exhaled, and groaned. Keith's blood started unthawing.

Lotor nodded to him. "Impressive. You must come back to Uru'baen with us."

Keith held Lance closer to him. "No," he spat. 

"Oh, no," Lotor said with a grin. "I insist."

"Brisingr!" Keith cried out, and a circle of fire taller than his head erupted out of the grass in a circle around him and Lance. The soldiers stepped back.

Lotor snarled, all charm gone. "Reisa du adurna!" He spat, and the water from Kóstha-mérna rose and fell on top of the flames, and Keith and Lance. 

"If it's a magic battle you want, it is a magic battle you will get,  _Keith Shirogane_. I will destroy you, as my father destroyed your brother."

 _But he didn't_ , Keith thought fleetingly.  _Shiro is alive and safe. Ha._

Lotor pointed at him with an authority of someone born to power. "Deloi moi," he commanded, and suddenly Keith and Lance were sinking. The earth was sinking. Keith hugged Lance as the solid ground below them sunk into a deep pit. 

"No!" Keith yelled, and let go of Lance to claw at the walls until his hands were bleeding. 

"Keith," Lance rasped, and Keith whipped around. Lance smiled at him weakly, but was obviously confused. "Where are we?"

"Lance." Keith rushed to him, and kneeled in front of him, and pulled him close. Lance hugged him back instead of lying in his arms limply. "Sh, sh, I'm alright..."

(In Keith's mind, Lance had never been in danger, and had always been right here in his arms.)

Keith might have cried. "You're okay."

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." Lance looked at him. "I'd rather be dead than brought before Zarkon. If it was death or capture, I'd choose death."

Keith thought about the scars on his back, his trophies from his time as a prisoner of the Empire. "I know. Me too. I wouldn't have done anything different."

"Brisingr!" Lotor shouted from above.

Keith froze. "Skölir nosu fra brisingr!" He yelped before golden flames started falling down on them.

"He's not trying to kill us," Lance said. "If he was, we'd be dead. This is a test."

Keith nodded. "But I'm close to my limit. A few more spells, and then I'll be a crisp."

"I can't," Lance whispered. "I don't have any magic in me right now."

Lance reached over and took Keith's hand. "I love you."

Lance said it so easily.

Like it was the easiest thing in the world.

Just laying his emotions out to Keith.

For Keith.

Keith wanted to say it back, but he couldn't find the words. 

Why couldn't he be that open about his emotions?

Damn emotions.

Keith was saved from having to answer when the air around him swirled around his feet and launched him into the air. He could see the same happening to Lance. "Lance!" He yelled, even though he knew Lance probably wouldn't hear him.

Keith almost had a painful collision with the ground as his  _up_ started to go  _down_ , but stopped three feet above the grass. He was frozen in midair, the only sounds were the rush of blood in his ears and his own heavy breathing.

Then he crashed to the ground with a groan.

Someone grabbed him by the arms, and pulled him upwards into a roughly standing position, and he was face to face with Lotor, who was smiling.

"A valiant effort. But you'll both be coming to Uru'baen now."

"No-" Keith struggled.

Lotor tapped his forehead. "Slytha."

 _No_... 

Keith slipped into blackness.

-

Lance woke up in a clean bed, Keith lying beside him, in a clean room. His first thought was panic. He looked for his sword. It was leaning against a table next to the bed. Keith's knife was laying on top of the table. 

There's several more set ups like that, beds and tables beside them. Lots of beds. Only one or two weren't occupied. People in white clothes and carrying supplies like bandages and salves went from bed to bed. There were drawable curtains around each bed, probably to give a semblance of privacy. 

This wasn't a prison. It was an infirmary. 

Lance shook Keith's shoulder. "Wake up," he hissed. "Keith, please."

"Argetlam," a warm voice says. Lance manages to look away from Keith long enough to look up at Thace, who had a bandage wrapped around his bicep. 

"Did Zarkon get you too?" Lance whispered. "Is this Uru'baen?"

Thace smiled. "You're not in Uru'baen. Welcome to Arus, Dragon Rider."

Arus. The small kingdom that had succeeded from the Empire and aided the Varden. The place Lance's family had run to to seek safety.

Lance started paying attention to what was happening around him. "-after Plaxum and I saved you, Lotor left with all his forces," Thace was saying. "A large number of our men died. But no one who wasn't a soldier got hurt."

Lance nodded. "Who… who is Plaxum?"

"One of our scouts. She's quick, she's clever, she's got a bit of magic, and she's ferocious with a knife. She's reporting to Kolivan and the king of Arus right now."

Lance nodded. "How long has it been?"

"It took three days to get to Arus, and we've been here for a day." 

"Lotor put us to sleep for four days?" Lance yelped. "Why hasn't Keith woken up? Keith! Keith!"

Thace put a hand on Lance's shoulder. "He woke up before you, actually. It's the middle of the night, Lance. He's in regular sleep."

"Or I was," Keith muttered darkly without sitting up. 

"Keith!" And Lance hugs him. Keith shifts into a better position to hug him back. "God, I thought we were goners."

"Me too. Lance." Keith put his hand against his cheek. "You're okay."

"When Keith woke up, before he realized you were completely fine, just asleep, he lost it. Started screaming and crying. Had his knife out and everything. Nova was the only one who could call him down enough to listen to the fact that you were FINE," Thace said.  

Keith grumbled something unintelligible. 

Thace continued. "He made an escape attempt, too. Keith was very proud of himself for escaping from an unguarded and unlocked room."

Keith buried his face in his pillow. "Don't listen to him, Lance. Everything he says is a lie."

Lance smiled, then frowned. "How do you know about Nova?" He hissed. 

"I told him," Keith said. "He handed me the bag she was in, and when she calmed me down enough, I showed her to him."

"Blue!" Lance nearly fell out of bed. "Blue, Blue, Blue, is she okay?"

"She's okay. Promise, I checked with her yesterday." Keith was rubbing his thumb against Lance's hand. 

Lance pressed his forehead against Keith's. "We're safe?"

"We're safe."

"I'll go tell the King and Kolivan that you're awake." Thace walked out. 

Keith's grip on Lance's hand was tight, but Lance didn't mind. It felt like an anchor. "You were really that worried when I didn't wake up?"

"The last thing I remembered was getting captured by Lotor. Of course I was. I thought I lost you," Keith rasped. 

Lance closed his eyes. "I'm okay. We're okay." Lance was also trying to convince himself.  

-

Arus didn't have a dragon hold like Farthen Dûr. Once Lance and Keith were done telling Kolivan and the King of Arus about what had happened, dawn had started to break. Lance had been lead to a tent next to a grassy field, where Blue was laying around lazily.  

"Blue!" He laughed, tears in his eyes, and ran to her, throwing his arms around her neck. 

She made a rumbling noise like a purr.  _They wouldn't let me into the infirmary to see you_ , she said.  _I was worried._

"I'm okay, see," Lance whispered, gesturing to himself. "Is this my tent?"

_Yes_.

Lance peaked inside. It looked like a normal tent. Blue poked him with her tail, and he fell in. 

_Hey_ , he protested. 

_Wear armor next time,_ Blue said.

Lance sighed.  _Alright_. 

_There is someone here to see you._

_Who?_  

"Hey," Keith said, leaning his head in. "Can I come in?"

Lance brushed the dust off of his pants. "Oh, yah."

Keith sat next to him. "Remember when you saved me from Gil'ead?" He whispered, quiet. 

"How could I forget?"

"And remember when you healed me from what the Empire had done to me?" 

Lance remembered the criss cross of burns and bruises and scars and slashes all across Keith's back. "Yes." 

"I wanted to ask if you wanted to see."

Lance paused. He'd seen the scars in the dark, because Keith occasionally slept without a shirt, but never in full light. And never in a way that was Keith wanting him to see. Keith offering to show him. 

Blue nudged his mind.  _If you're up for seeing it, say yes. This seems like his way of opening up to you._

"Okay," Lance said softly, but with conviction. 

Lance's memory must have remembered it as worse, or maybe time had healed some of it on its own. Keith's back was a criss cross of long, thin scars, and short, straight, thick lines, and faded burn marks. 

"If I knew then what I knew now, I could have healed all of it," Lance whispered. "If I was as strong then as I am now…"

"It doesn't hurt anymore, and the important thing is that you saved my life. These are just a reminder of that." 

Lance's hand hovered over a long scar on his shoulder. "Can I touch?"

"Go ahead." The second Lance did, Keith shuddered. "God, your hands are  _cold_."

Lance snorted. "Well, whoops. Can't help that."

Lance leaned back and grabbed Keith's hand after he pulled his shirt back on. "Thank you for trusting me and showing me that."

Keith smiled. "Anytime. I trust you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is witchlightsands, and my vld season 3 spoiler blog is pidgespuppets!


	17. Strategizing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what the fuck is an "updating on time"
> 
> this isnt EVERYTHING I wanted to put in this chapter, but i felt it was long overdo. if it makes anyone feel any better, the final battle is soon :3

Goldenseal and Hunk landed in the clearing where Shiro held Dragon Rider training. It'd been two weeks since they'd received the fire message that the attack against the Varden had been thwarted, and the Varden had relocated safely in Arus. In that time, Hunk would say he and Gold had grown closer to be full Dragon Riders. If only there was more time for training.

Shiro and Caelum were waiting in the clearing. Shiro's forehead was pressed against Caelum's, and they seemed to be talking between themselves. Caelum didn't talk much to anyone that wasn't Shiro.

Pidge ran into the clearing, Rover perched on her shoulders like a falcon the size of a sheepdog. "Sorry we're late. Running is slower than flying. And  _someone_ tagged along."

From behind Pidge, Matt walked forward, a bag over his shoulder. He walked up to Shiro, dropped his bag, and kissed him. "You thought you could leave without me?"

"Now that Pidge and Hunk are... a little bit trained, I can't justify keeping us in Elesméra. And like I told you a week ago, you should stay-"

"Nope, not happening. What's up, Cae?" Matt grinned. "I didn't bring much. Don't even try to stop me, I'm coming with you."

"But-"

"Allura will manage without her smiths until after the war," Matt promised. "They're fully geared, and the Varden is understaffed. Also, I'm not a fighter. Either I can stay in a smithy in Elesméra, or a smithy in Arus, and I'd rather be where you are."

Shiro sighed with a smile. "Alright, get on."

"Love you."

"Love you, too." Shiro got onto Caelum's back in one smooth motion. "Alright, onto Arus."

Hunk was looking forward to getting to Arus. Shay and Nyma had gone ahead, and they should have gotten there by now. If they hadn't, Hunk's excitement at seeing them was going to be replaced by fear. Hopefully they would be there.

_Please be there._

-

"You know, Keith, watching the sky isn't going to make your brother get here any faster." Lance sat down on the hill beside his boyfriend. 

"Today. It's supposed to be today. Two weeks since the fire message, and I allotted five days for travel. He's supposed to get here today." Keith looked at him. "Besides, you aren't giving Shay and Nyma the talk about looking at the sky," he said teasingly.

"They'll figure it out soon enough. A watched pot never boils."

"How's your family?"

"Good!" Lance grinned. "The King gave them some seeds, so they can get back to farming. Apparently ours was destroyed."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Lance."

"It's okay. They're all alive, and they're getting their lives back on track." Lance picked up a rock and threw it. "I always thought I would end up being a farmer. Now I'm a Dragon Rider. And I just... I don't know where I'm going in my life. Everything got off track."

"This was how it was meant to be. Blue hatched for you."

"I never expected... any of this. I just hope you know that. I didn't expect it."

Keith reached out to put his hand on top of his. "That doesn't make it all bad, does it?" He smiled.

Lance smiled back. "Definitely not all of it."

There was a loud horn, and Keith looked up. Then he beamed. "They're here!"

Caelum was a shadow against the day, with Goldenseal glittering behind them. Rover came in behind, too small for a Rider yet. Caelum tilted their wings and moved towards the open field that had been left for the dragons. Keith ran to the clearing, dragging Lance behind him. 

"Shiro!" Keith called out, running towards his brother. Shiro grinned when he saw him. "Hey, kiddo. How's Nova?"

"She's great!" Keith analyzed Rover. "A little bigger than Rover."

"Can we see her? Rover missed her." Pidge scratched underneath Rover's chin. 

"She's hunting with Blue," Lance said.

"Hunk!" Shay ran into the clearing, and Hunk scooped her up in his arms. "We need to talk," she said seriously, and dragged him away. Goldenseal followed them happily.

Off of Caelum's back, Matt jumped down. "Hey." He waved.

"Why aren't you in Du Weldenvarden?" Keith asked, then held up a hand. "No, wait, don't tell me. Shiro."

"Shiro," Matt confirmed. "Now, we should talk to Kolivan."

-

"What do we need to talk about?" Hunk asked. "And why couldn't we do it with the others?"

"Because it's personal. It's about Nyma." Shay took a deep breath. "She said she liked me. And you. And I like her. So if you like her, I was wondering if we could pursue a polyamorous relationship."

"Nyma likes us?"

"I do," Nyma said, peaking out from inside a tent. "Of course, you two have something going already, and I don't want to-"

"Nyma. I like you too," Hunk said, taking one of her hands. "I like both of you!" He grinned to Shay.

"And I like both of you!" Shay exclaimed.

Nyma smiled hesitantly. "So... us?"

"Us."

-

"This is Matt," Shiro said. "He's the elven blacksmith."

Matt gave Kolivan an intricate bow. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"Excellent. The Varden is running low on blacksmiths," Kolivan said as Matt stood up straight. "If you'd be okay with it, I'd like you to sleep near our forgery with the other smiths."

"Not happening. He stays with me." Shiro wrapped an arm around Matt's waist and pulled him close. "Matt is my constant companion and best friend and there's no one I'd rather have at my side."

"We're sleeping together," Matt deadpanned. 

Shiro sighed and put his head in his hand.

Keith coughed. "I hate every decision that led me to having to hear that phrase said about my  _brother_."

Matt just shrugged.

Kolivan blinked. "Then of course, Matt stays with you."

"And I want a tent near Caelum."

"Of course. Anything for the Dragon Rider we all thought was dead."

Shiro smiled. "It'd take a little more than a wall falling on me to kill  _me_."

"What if the wall was on fire?" Matt asked.

"Hm, how much prep time do I get?"

"Standard armor, usual wards but worn down in battle. Think about 63 percent wards."

"If I have time to cast a fireproof spell, I could make it."

"You might not have time."

"Please play your morbid game where you figure out what could kill Shiro... not here." Keith shooed them away. "I have to speak to Kolivan about our strategy. Lance and the council of advisers are waiting in Kolivan's office."

"See ya." Shiro saluted as he left.

Keith stood up straight in front of Kolivan. "Strategy meeting now?"

"Now."

The room was quiet. Keith took his seat at Kolivan's right, across from Lance. At least four other people were there, including Thace. Kolivan cleared his throat. "Strategies. We need them, now."

"Okay, so we're not strong enough to take Uru'baen, right?" Lance asked. "And we can't sit here like sitting ducks. What does that leave us?"

"We could attack and capture smaller cities. Draw Zarkon out," Antok suggested. 

"He'd destroy us. We need to attack other cities, but not at the express of drawing out Zarkon. If we cut off support to the center of the Empire, we can attack Uru'baen without fending off another city's forces." Kolivan folded his hands together.

"Yes, but the longer we take, the weaker we'll be before we're all in front of Uru'baen and it's too late," Keith pointed out.

"So we'd need to do it over a long enough time to gain supplies and experience but not too long."

"One month," Thace said. "That's all we'd have."

"I agree," Lance said. "We can't drag this out longer than a month."

"Then it's settled. Alright, spread the word. We march tomorrow at noon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is witchlightsands and im not gonna be there for a while oh well

**Author's Note:**

> this is my new project now that season 2 is over lol


End file.
